Abia state Governor, Dr Alex Otti says the South East Governors are working together to make the region an ideal destination for education and investments.

Governor Otti stated this when he received in audience a delegation of the South East University which seeks to take off at the premises of the Abia State College of Education Technical, Arochukwu.

“We (Governors of the South East) are also working together to make the south east the ideal destination in terms of investment in education, healthcare”.

“What we are doing is the right thing to do and we need more people that would support us because the government cannot do everything”.

The Governor who used the forum to inform the delegation of his great plans to upgrade the Abia State College of Education Technical, Arochukwu, promised that his administration will prevail on his brother Governors to support the noble initiative.

“Speaking of the college of Education, we have great plans for College of education. You know before now, it has not done well, it was virtually abandoned, salaries not paid but we have set up a board now and we are trying to fix the place. We believe strongly that we do not have a functional higher education for training teachers and will not be able to solve the problem of quality of education”

Governor Otti noted that his plans for a viable and quality education system in the state led to his government allocating 20% of the 2024 budget to the education sector, noting that the proposed faculty of Agriculture is in line with his vision as it occupies a prime place under his administration.

“For our government that has devoted 20% of it’s 2024 budget to education, you’ll agree that we must make the system work and we are taking it one step at a time” Otti stated.

He directed the delegation to meet with the state Commissioner for Education and other stakeholders with a view to working out the details of the project for possible take off.

Earlier, the majority leader, Abia state House of Assembly and member representing Arochukwu state constituency, Hon. Uchenna Okoro said that the remarkable infrastructural turn around being witnessed under the present administration accounts for why the delegation has chosen the state for the project, describing it as a welcome development.

In his presentation, the team leader, Dr Venatius Ogueze said that they are impressed with the achievements of Governor Alex Otti in office, noting that the idea behind the South East University is to have a university of the South East region as can be seen in other regions of the country.

He cited the prevailing security, purposeful, progressive and selfless leadership style of the Governor Alex Otti administration as reasons for why they are considering Abia for the project, adding that the university will offer professional courses such as Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Mechanical Engineering while Agricultural students will be placed on scholarship

The State Commissioner for Education, Professor Uche Eme Uche, Commissioner for SMES and Digital Economy, Mr Mathew Ekwuribe among other government functionaries were present during the visit.

The Enugu State Government has slammed the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, over its billing and disconnection of some of the state government’s offices, describing the actions as unlawful, malicious, callous, and vexatious.

It also faulted EEDC’s claim of government’s indebtedness to the company to the tune of N1.3bn, explaining that besides prompt payment of all electricity bills received from the EEDC since May 2023, the Governor Peter Mbah Administration had equally cleared two months backlog of debts in line with the governor’s commitment to offset all legitimate electricity debts inherited from his predecessors.

The government stated this in a letter to the EEDC Managing Director/CEO dated Tuesday, June 11, 2024 and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia.

The letter entitled, “Re: Notice of Disconnections to Indebted Customers and Actual Disconnections of Enugu State Government Offices”, reads in part, “Enugu State Government received the disconnection notice published in national daily newspapers. We have also received the information that EEDC has disconnected some Enugu State government institutions.

“We note that both the publication of notice of disconnections and the actual disconnections on Saturday 8th June, 2024 were based on wrong premises and total disregard to NERC rules and standing Order on estimated billing of Maximum demand customers.

“Accordingly, the state government notes as follows: That EEDC letter dated 7 June 2024 addressed to His Excellency the Governor of Enugu State that the outstanding electricity bill is N1,319,571,131.21.

“That the said outstanding electricity bills are estimated billing of Maximum demand agencies and parastatals of the state government carried over from the last administration as the current administration has diligently and promptly paid all bills received from May 2023 to date including 2 months from the carried over bill which it has shown commitment in good faith to settle.

“That NERC Order NO/NERC/197/2020 paragraph 13 subsection (a) states: ‘Any Maximum demand agencies and parastatals customer not provided with meter by 1 March 2017 shall not pay any electricity bills presented by a DisCo on the basis of estimated billing methodology and these customers are advised to report to the Commission.

“Paragraph 13 subsection (b) states No DisCo shall disconnect any Maximum demand agencies and parastatals customers that were not metered by 1March 2024 on the basis of the customer’s refusal to pay an invoice issued on the basis of estimated billing after the compliance deadline.”

Continuing, the government stated, “Considering the provisions of NERC Order, the recent disconnections of government offices, parastatals viz: College of Medicine ESUT Teaching hospital, Housing development corporation, State Secretariat, etc. is unlawful, callous and has inflicted malicious damages to the image and integrity of the state government. These acts are vexatious and completely unacceptable.”

“Therefore, the government demands detailed bills and the accounts statements/histories of the government agencies that make up the claimed state’s indebtedness to EEDC for forensic audit investigations.

“The government further demands immediate and total metering of al its agencies in line with NERC Order.”

In furtherance of the rights of the state government agencies, the government additionally demanded a refund of its electricity infrastructure investment from which it said EEDC had made so much money as well as a retraction of false claim of the state’s indebtedness to it, which government insists was defamatory.

“Following the NERC Order NO/197/2020, the government hereby notifies EEDC management that it will no longer pay any electricity bills based on the estimated billing methodology.

“The government notes that it has carried out electricity infrastructure intervention projects investment totaling N2,979,334,305.19 from which EEDC collects revenue. The government demands payments for the investment costs and other debts owed by EEDC to the government.

“Finally, the government demands immediate retraction of the malicious publication and immediate reconnection of all disconnected government agencies as the basis for a truce,” the government concluded.

Good Governance ministry is pleased to announce its adoption and approval of the proposed additional state in the South East as presently constituted which is currently receiving attention in the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly.

While we are quite cognizant of the position of 1999 constitution as amended, we consider it as a reasonable phantom and believe the two separate bills as presented by Messrs Ikenga Ugochinyere for proposed Orlu state and Senator Ned Nwoko for proposed Anioma state will be a redux and silver lining in restoration of parity in the distribution of States and resources among the different geopolitical zones.

GGM is well invested in upholding the section 8 of the Constitution and urge the commitment, understanding and dedication of all and sundry in walking through the rigors of carrying out this worthy venture.

Having perused and considered thoroughly the Pros and Cons of having either of the two treasure trove of Igboland as the sixth State, we need to reiterate in strong terms that Orlu is as much needed and important as Anioma state.

However, from both subjective and objective lens, we humbly subscribe to Anioma as the sixth state of Alaigbo after careful examination of the short, medium and long term benefits and prospects that will herald such attainment.

In the light of above, we hereby call upon all stakeholders to immediately initiate engagements and rapport with our kit and kin in Anioma towards achieving the noble cause of Sixth Igbo state of Alaigbo.

The support for sixth State in the South East is in line with GGM call for a new Constitution that will empower the Regions to take control of their God – given natural resources . This present feeding bottle federation has created super rich individuals and impoverish majority of the indigenous people living Nigeria. Therefore, we must continue to mobilize the ordinary people to assume their responsibility of determining how they are governed.

Signed

Henry Ebubeogu
Spokesperson,GGM.
Email: ggovernanceministry@gmail.com