The ‘pretended’ cordial relationship purportedly existing between the outgoing governor of Abia state, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu and his immediate past predecessor, Senator T A Orji has been exposed as both took each other to the cleaners over several months of unpaid salaries and pensions arrears owed the state workers and pensioners respectively.
With less than two weeks left for Okezie Ikpeazu to vacate seat of power in God’s own state after spending two terms in office as the executive governor, the Obingwa-born former University don’s administration has come under heavy criticisms by Abians and residents who blamed him for abysmal performance compared to previous administrations.
Blueprint correspondent gathered that most of the criticisms centered on poor infrastructural deficits, deplorable road conditions in Umuahia and Aba, non payment of backlog of salary and pension arrears with Abia workers currently on strike to drive home demands of payment before they will return back to work.
Giving reasons why his government was still owing workers two weeks to end of his tenure and many months of unpaid salaries and pensions, Governor,Dr Okezie Ikpeazu first drew the battle line through explanations on what led to the lingering unpaid workers salaries and pensions for retirees, while laying part of the blames to the past administrations.
This blame game did not go down well to the perception of his immediate past predecessor, Senator T A Orji, the outgoing Senator representing Abia Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, who swiftly reacted asking the embattled governor to carry his own cross and should not drag his name into his own failure.
In a press statement signed by Senator T A Orji, Umuahia liason officer, Mr Ifeanyi Umere made available in the social media, the TA Orji said Orji paid salaries and pensions regularly and never owed while he served as then two term governor, wondering why Ikpeazu should blame him, not with huge allocations and Bail out funds that came his way.
Senator T A Orji explained that he was not owing core civil servants when he left office as a governor in 2015, wondering why his successor would want to draw him into controversy of not paying salaries and pensions.
The statement entitled “Ikpeazu should carry his cross”, noted, “It’s unfortunate that I am forced to comment and refute the half-truths being dished out by those who through their own bad choices have found themselves in a quagmire.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, neither myself nor my administration is responsible for the staggering salary arrears owed both civil servants, parastatals and pensioners in the state.
“Before my administration came to an end on May 29, 2015, core civil servants were not owed even one-month salary arrears. Parastatals were the ones that were owed between two and four months. The records are there.
“At any rate, the arrears were necessitated by the dwindling federal allocation occasioned by the worsening global economy. The price of crude had crashed and the states were getting a paltry two to three billion naira monthly which was not even enough to run the state including capital and recurrent expenditures.
“Those who took over from us inherited both assets and liabilities. In this case, government is a continuum. So, if we were owing two to three months, we expected our successors to clear them. This expectation was based on the fact that they received bail-out funds from the federal government more than three times running into billions of naira. Again the economy had picked up considerably enabling the outgoing government to chalk up considerable income as can be confirmed by the Ministry of Finance.
“So why was it difficult for them to offset the debts? Again if for any reason they couldn’t or were unwilling to offset,why did they allow it to skyrocket to between 35 and 40 months? Why are they also owing core civil servants? So basically, I am not the problem. They should carry their cross”.
Conversely,, the outgoing Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu said, he will not join issues with his predecessors.
In a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Onyebuchi Ememanka “states,”the attention of the Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has been drawn to a statement credited to Senator T.A.Orji, the immediate past Governor of Abia State.
“Governor Ikpeazu wishes to state that he is proudly carrying the cross of the governance of Abia state and will continue to carry it till his last day in office.
“Secondly, and as a personal policy, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu will not join issues with any of his predecessors in office. For the almost 8 years he has held office as Governor, he has not engaged any of his predecessors in any kind of untoward exchange, even when it seemed politically expedient to do so. This policy is largely responsible for the sociopolitical stability we have enjoyed in Abia State since 2015. The Governor intends to sustain this personal policy going forward.
“Finally, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is of the firm view that as in all matters, history and posterity will, over time, put all things in proper perspective”.
Meanwhile,the out-going governor , Okezie Ikpeazu quickly replied stating that he is proudly carrying his cross and will not be forced to join issues with his predecessor.
