“My task is to dry your tears and help you to rediscover who you are and lead you back to the pathway of sustainable growth, development...
, God’s Own State. It is, therefore, with great delight, humility, and a high sense of duty that I address you all now for the first time in that capacity.
5. I must thank INEC, especially those her officers, who stood firm to their conviction during the elections, to make our votes count. We must not take for granted the sacrifice that these INEC staff made for us to be here today in this capacity. Posterity will not forget those of them who put even their lives on the line to save our endangered democracy and keep alive the hallowed ritual of this form of government, which demands obeying the will of the people.
9. Despite the initial assurances from the other side that the endless season of antagonistic and predatory politics was finally over, we have been the target of the most vicious and pernicious attacks through vile propaganda and the unconscionable abuse of judicial processes. We are here today, simply because many individuals of conviction and courage were resolute in standing on the side of truth, equity, and justice. I doff my hat for them.
13. I have abiding faith in our ability to conquer the challenges of decades of poor-quality governance; the decades of stunted growth and development; the decades of deprivation, injustice and loss of self-dignity, the decades of hopelessness, anguish, and pain. After all, we are the children of those who were at the forefront of the successful quest for independence for Nigeria and indeed Africa.
17. As we get ready to cross our River Jordan into the Canaan land that God has graciously placed before us, let us not be under any illusion that the worst is over. In fact, in winning the election, we have merely won a preliminary battle, albeit a very crucial one. Nevertheless, the war has just begun, and we have put our hands on the plough. There is no turning back until we achieve our collective dreams and aspirations.
21. Democracy is built on the three tiers of the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government. Establishing a harmonious relationship with the legislature and the judiciary is critical to our success as government and to the prosperity of the state. We pledge to offer the right support to the other two arms of government in our shared commitment to changing the fortunes of our people.
25. We shall also be grappling with a society that had largely lost its moral compass. Over the years, we have built a society where honesty, hard work and the many excellent virtues have been cast by the wayside. These were the values that in the past were known to be ours. Today, many of our young ones are assaulted by the sights of dishonest men and women acquiring extravagant material riches while the honest and hard-working ones go to them, begging for crumbs.
29. Having laid the foregoing foundation, it gives me pleasure to announce that within the next few days, we shall commence the payment of May 2023 salaries and pensions to all civil servants and retirees in the State. There shall be no more distinction between the so-called “core” and “non-core” civil servants. This is a disingenuous expression that was used to hide the wicked habit of owing salaries.
34. As you all know, Aba is a city that is very dear to my heart and critical to my leadership agenda. I believe that many Abians have the same attitude towards Aba. I intend to work tirelessly to restore the glory of our beloved Enyimba City. I shall, in the next one week, announce the setting up of the most suitable administrative and investment vehicles to drive the social and economic rejuvenation of Aba.
38. To improve the State’s rating in the area of ‘ease of doing business’ and bring Abia at par with states that have made gains in this area, I am announcing the setting up of a cabinet level position within the Governor’s Office to drive our ‘Ease of Doing Business’ agenda. This position will be manned by a Special Adviser who has thorough understanding of best global practices on creating favourable environment for businesses to thrive.
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