From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo

Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State, Stanley Okoro-Emegha has said that going by the development strides of Governor David Umahi, he has made work simple for whoever that would succeed him in 2023.

Explain what you mean by saying that Gov. Umahi has already made governance easy for his successor in 2023?

We are aware of how this state was before the emergence of Governor Umahi, despite the fact that he has not completed his eight years in the office but what he has done within this period is unbelievable, I am not saying it because I am serving in his government, rather I simply want to respect my conscience. Barely two years to his exit in the office and he is still embarking on work, thus, such action is rare.

To some leaders, this period would have been a time to loot but his own case is different; look at the new exco chambers, Her Excellency’s office and too many other projects without minding the fact that he is preparing the state for someone else to enjoy.

If one takes a walk to other neighbouring states, by the time the person comes back, he will see enough reasons to clap for Governor Umahi; go to airport, the University of Medical Sciences and other sites, if not that the man is a special specie, he would have been experiencing headache because of the enormous tasks upon him. To put the record straight, if whoever that will succeed him, come 2023 general election will indulge in maintenance culture, I can tell you authoritatively, the person will be seen as the best governor in the country.

I do state things the way they are, Gov. Umahi has done well in the state; it is good for us to respect our conscience and this is why I am charging journalists to always refute any junk written against the governor and his administration; they must not wait for government officials to do that, they can debunk it on their own since they are witnessing the leadership.

The most interesting aspect of Governor Umahi is that his good work is simultaneous in all the council areas of the state, the ongoing construction of flyover at Iyere Ogwuma being my home town in Edda (Afikpo South), its kind has not been seen anywhere in the country; I can tell you that he has saved lives by siting the flyover in the area.

Before now, we did record over 100 deaths annually at the place through road crashes but now the story has changed.

We may not realise the full importance of Governor Umahi but once he is out of the office, by then, he will be rated as one in a million who also appears once in a century but by grace of God, we will be able to get a capable hand who will succeed him.

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As the security consultant, how would you rate the security situation in the state?

Regarding this facet of the administration, the government through my office had gone extra-mile in giving protection to lives and property in the state; sincerely, people can attest to the fact that the security situation of the state has changed for good.

In other areas, banks do donate vehicles to security agencies and there is what is called Security Trust Fund where individuals do make some donations but in Ebonyi State, none thinks about that for the reason being that it is the sole responsibility of the government to protect its citizenry, this is why we are not hoping on any establishment or individuals for help.

This is why I am advising that each person has a role to play while government has its own part. To show the leadership ingenuity of the state governor, he was able to solve the Ezilo and Ezza/Ezilo crisis; today the people are living peacefully.

If we debunk fallacious criticisms targeted at blackmailing him over his good work, I believe that there is nothing bad about it because such action will invariably stimulate someone to do more; whenever Governor Umahi goes from here, we owe him prayers because he needs our encouragement.

Concerning World Peace Day which was recently observed globally, do you have anything to say?

I still maintain that crisis is an evil wind that blows no one good; it is even better to live in peace with whoever that one may identify as his enemy than being in a daggers-drawn with such person. The sustainability of every relationship lies in one person’s hand being the one who agrees to be sacrificing for the association; it pays better.

Let me make it known that once someone remembers that he is at loggerheads with another, the person’s system will change irrespective of the ingredients that may contain in the person’s diet, his appetite will vanish, no matter the volume of alcoholic intake to weaken his veins, the same substance will seize to function in the person’s brain; all these can be found simply because the person remembers his enemy.

Therefore, in tandem with the Global Peace Day, I am urging each person to reduce the number of enemies that one has and live in peace with people because it goes a long way in increasing the person’s lifespan, let us try as much as we can to live in peace with everyone.