HIS EXCELLENCY DR. ALEX OTI
PREPARED BY: COMRADE JAMES CHIBUZO CHIKWENDU OND, BSC
I wish to congratulate our distinguished governor elect of Abia State and the entire Abians for the victory at the just concluded election.
The victory is significant as the winner represents the will of all Abians of good will.
I want to appreciate Dr. Alex Otti for assembling a manifesto of hope to reposition our state that is in a state of coma to life.
From the manifesto, we shall take some pages and make our contributions and inputs.
We have also given our advice for your scrutiny as a way forward to recover the lost glory of our State.
Bring back urban areas in Abia state to its, lost glory.
URBAN CLEANING: Aba is the hub of Abia State and should be cleaned and made to look clean. The major roads entering Aba and Umuahia from Umuikaa Junction should be made to look beautiful and clean with lighting points and CCTV cameras to check excesses of the hoodlums and the armed robbers in uniforms , this will bring sanity to our urban area/ city.
Link roads such as Aba Owerri Road , PortHarcourt Road in Aba, Faulks Road in Aba, Obohia Road in Aba and Ngwa Road all in Aba should be cleaned up and good / quality road constructed with beautiful flowers and CCTV that is, surveillance cameras should be installed in these roads to check / monitor crimes, same should be replicated in some important roads if not all at the capital city of Umuahia.
SURVELLIANCE SYSTEM
Surveillance system should be used to check / monitor crime in some public places and some major link roads, where hoodlums can take to escape. The CCTV cameras mounted in public places and linked to some streets will help reduce crime and make the law enforcement agencies to be cautious of what they do on the streets . For instance, from the Imo River, that is, from Ngor Okpala axis to Owerrinta where the military and the navy are on road block should have CCTV cameras installed and all approved check- points in Abia State should have CCTV cameras installed.
WELFARE / PROTECTION OF RIGHTS
This Government should encourage protection of the rights of Abians and respect for Gender. This can be implemented through the establishment of a Welfare/Protection Of Rights Orientation Desk where indigents can receive advice and directed on how to approach the agencies responsible for their problems.
THE ELDERLY AND PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES (PLWDS)
We suggest that there should be data collection of Elderly and PLWDS in our respective L.G.A to enable charitable treatment to take place . The retirees should be looked into, especially, this administration should see to the payment of the retired benefits owed retirees, we believe clearing these arrears (debts) and prompt payment of pensions will boast the moral of Abians and this will enable easy payment/ collection of Internally Generated Revenue (I.G.R) by the people as they will see the sincerity of the Administration.
Special homes should be set up in all the L.G.As for elderly people who cannot take care of themselves.
THE INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING IN ABIA STATE
The institutions in Abia State should be made to start working again.
Abia State University and Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, should be renovated, equipped with modern facilities put in place and the hospital put to full use; the government should see to the payment of owed medical officers in the government hospitals and health centres and also look into delayed and unpaid salaries of workers and possibly clear all salaries owed workers within the shortest period of time before embarking on capital projects. This will make the people to pray and bless the administration, which we believe, will help the government to prosper in all the affairs of the governance.
We suggest, the incoming Administration should, within 100 days in office, pay all retirees their pensions and gratuities including workers owed salaries and when this is done, the government will now focus on its developmental and life touching prefects to move the state forward. This idea helped the Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige led Government in 2007 when he took over from Governor Chinweoke Mbadunuju who was owing workers salaries, pensions and gratuities and as at that time, primary and secondary schools were closed as the schools went on strike for almost a years. But Governor Chris Nwabueze Ngige came in and decided to pay workers pensions and gratuities owed retirees and after the payment, he balanced and started capital developmental projects, and that got him this name “NGI NWA” IGBO LEADER” and till today, the foundation he laid for Anambra State then, is what the coming governments after him, has been enjoying.
I believe, if same is done in Abia State within the 100 days in office of the incoming administration, Abia State and Abians will experience fresh air.
SECURITY
Surveillance system, that is, CCTV cameras installed in public places encourage identification of every person living in the area / streets through the compilation of the state data form to identify all the people living in a particular area. This is ensure that anybody that is not identified, can answer questions and the data will create fears to those whose stay in the community is not genuine.
FUNDING
In addition to funding to what the approach of the government want to IGR
We wish to contribute as follows:
These are areas where the government can raise fund to help fund Abia projects, we suggest, some measures and IGR windows be considered.
1) A rating valuation of all ratable properties in all the urban areas / cities be carried out and property rate paid by property owners. This will help to raise fund for the development projects as all the ratable properties in the urban areas will help boast revenue for development of the state.
The local government area with the highest Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) should benefit in the administration developmental projects.
OTHER REVENUES WINDOWS THAT CAN BOAST IGR INCLUDE:
Shop fees
Sanitation levy
Business premises
Development levy
Personal income tax
Motor emblem
Advertisement: Sign boards, Billboards, Mobile adverts, Product adverts, auditory adverts, Illuminating sign boards
Market stall enumeration
Market stall fees and traders tax
Shops and kiosks automated collection
Sanitation fees, direct tax & development levy
Fire service fees,
Property rate
Advertisement/bill boards
Lubricants dealers’ fees registration and renewal ,amongst others
Transport business operatives
Mini trucks, township-buses, shuttle-buses, tricycles, taxis, motorcycles including freelance inter-state operators in Abia state.
SUMMARY / RECOMMENDATION
We make the following recommendations:
1. That all properties of Abia State Govt. sold by the previous government without following due process should be revoked and brought back to the state.
2. That workers’ salaries, pensions and gratuities be paid to workers within the 100 days in office so that the entire Abia will support this administration.
3. That inventory of all government properties be taken to help for refurbishment, replacement and auction to avoid wastage.
4. That government should carry out or conduct of data / screening of workers to fish out ghost workers.
5. That surveillance system of security be established, and by this, CCTV Cameras should be installed in all the public places.
6. That Abia State University Teaching Hospital, General Hospitals and other Health Centres in Abia State should be made to be functional immediately.
Finally, I wish to submit that I am willing to support in seeing to the implementation of my submission and ready to throw more light on my submission if called to do. And I hope to use my experience and exposure gathered as a Revenue Consultant of Anambra State for over 20 years and as a Real Estate Broker for over 25 years experience and as an Activist being the National General Secretary of Committee For The Defence Of Human Rights in Nigeria.
Thanks,
Yours Faithfully,
Comrade James Chibuzo Chikwendu.
E: mail: jameschibuzochikwendu@gmail.com
From Umuomei in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.