Opinion: Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and the Interview that Should Not Have Been Granted

It’s dangerous for someone to be wrong and at the same time, unremorseful and unrepentant.This appears to be the case with the former Abia Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and his supporters.

If not for the destructive audacity that enabled all kinds of horrendous heists that wore Abia the notorious apparel of mediocrity for years, I doubt if Dr. Ikpeazu would have allowed his aides to stage this interview that obviously ridiculed him the more, even though they tried to Panel beat it, in order to achieve a set goal, yet, they failed woefully.

This interview, if anything, is an embarrassment to those who arranged it. It’s simply a disgrace. I’m sure that my friend Onyebuchi Ememanka who out of frustration, arising from lack of facts to defend Ikpeazu, angrily described Abians who are criticising his boss over the missing 10 billion naira as “Ignorant Cockroches” for daring to discuss the issue in the media, yet, in his quiet moment, he would be feeling more embarrassed and ashamed, unfortunately, he is helpless, because the facts stare them in the face.

Let’s forget about the illegal processes that preceded the diversion of the 10 Billion for now. E.g:

1. Transfer of the 10 Billion naira to Ferotex Construction Company almost a month before approaching the House of Assembly for approval.
2. None approval of the said 10 Billion by the same House of Assembly for road construction when “a group of Traditional Rulers ” now convinced the former Governor not to go ahead with the airport project.
3. Let us equally forget for now the fact that the claims made by Dr. Ikpeazu in this video on the roads completed with the said 10 Billion naira are false, completely false.
   For Example, Umuobiakwa/Ururuka and Obohia roads remain abandoned.
   Faulks road collapsed repeatedly before the end of his tenure. Onyebuchi Ememanka was already running cross country and jumping like a frog in a bid to access his house in Umule, courtesy of the collapse of the Umule road, also built by Ikpeazu before Governor Otti remembered the road a few weeks ago. Buchi’s pride was badly bruised by Ikpeazu’s substandard job. Like Junior Pope of blessed memory would ask; Who does that?

The completely collapsed and inaccessible Ekeakpara road was another road that was mentioned in the fund transfer bazaar from the 10 billion.

So let’s forget those ones and ask these following questions:

1. How could an educated sitting Governor with many educated appointees contemplate awarding an airport Contruction Contract to a road Contractor with zero knowledge, history or record of airport construction?
2. How could you award an airport contract job to a contractor who did not send an expression of interest proposal for the construction of an airport and still went ahead to transfer money into their account?

3.Ferotex Construction Company has a document where it communicated the Abia State Government to say that it was not into airport construction, so why did Governor Ikpeazu authorise the transfer of a whopping sum of 10 Billion naira to the same Contractor during a global lock down, courtesy of COVID-19?

4. Why did the statement of account read “80% payment for the construction of Abia Airport”?
5. When Governor Ikpeazu was educated by a group of Traditional Rulers that airport was not a priority, why did he not ask Ferotex Construction Company to return the 10 Billion to Abia State Government account, or better still authorise the Accountant General to collaborate with the bank and debit Ferotex’s account to the tune of 10 billion as it’s the standard?
6. Why did Ikpeazu authorise Ferotex to start distributing the funds to different accounts and construction companies that had different contractual agreements and payment arrangements with Abia State government?
7. Is Ferotex a bank? Was Ferotex the Accountant General of Abia State? On what basis was Ferotex warehousing such huge amount of money on behalf of the state and was disbursing from it’saccount?

The attempt to defend this audacious fraud with such anger and aggression being displayed by Ikpeazu’s Spokespersons and supporters, shows that the former Governor and his aides see Abians as a group of inconsequential duns that can easily be fooled and told to go to hell, without consequences.

Once again, all those involved in that horrendous heist have an opportunity to return to Abia state government whatever they benefited from the fund, now that they have the opportunity to do so. Neither emotional blackmail nor fear mongering can stop Governor Alex Otti and the government from recovering what was wickedly taken from the people.

Happy Sunday, Umu Chineke!

Ferdinand Ekeoma
May 19, 2024.