Governor Okezie Ikpeazu: We have no money for polls

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State says his state is cash strapped and therefore cannot afford to spend N800million on  local council elections.

Ikpeazu disclosed this on Monday evening while speaking at the Town Hall Meeting organized for Abia South Senatorial zone at Obehie, in Ukwa and at Abia Polytechnic in Aba.

“It has been three months now that I asked ABSIEC to give me the bill for local government elections and what they gave me was almost N800 million.

“And there is no way that the expenses will not be closer to N800 million than to N500 million because if you take up ad-hoc staff and you refuse to pay them, they will knock on your door.

“If I am given N1.8 billion it will not be wise for me to take N800 million for local government elections. We must find a way out”, he said.

The governor at the meeting directed the 17 local government Transition Committee Chairmen in the state to employ two physically challenged people each as special advisers.

He said that the employment would ensure that the interest of physically challenged persons in the state is protected in governance.

He said that the state of Port Harcourt road in Aba was giving him sleepless night stressing that its deplorable condition was stalling the creativity and productivity of the local companies there.

Ikpeazu regretted that he could not do the work alone because he does not have the funds to reconstruct the road in a standard model that would make it last long.

“When I think of Port Harcourt road, it will take a drainage system of about 13 kilometers which may involve breaking down some houses but I will not fold my hands and watch Port Harcourt road remain like that”, he said.

He said that World Bank and the state had entered into agreement to reconstruct the road before he became the governor adding that he hoped work would start on the road before December 2016.

Ikpeazu promised to ensure that youths who have handiwork were given the opportunity to be take part in N2 billion fund for primary schools refurbishment in order to empower them.

He urged Abia youths without handiwork to learn one in order to get opportunity to do some jobs for the government adding that the time of carrying files along the roads had passed