Elder statesman, Chief Sylvanus Nwaji, has said that outside the administration of Orji Uzor Kalu from 1999—2007, no other Abia state governor has remembered the Ukwa people of Abia South Senatorial District of Abia State.
Ukwa is the oil producing area of Abia state, with two local government areas of Ukwa East and Ukwa West. It is often described as the most neglected and marginalized part of the state.
Nwaji, a former council chairman in an interview with journalists said: “Like I said in a previous interview, the take over of our land by the government is to us, land-grabbing. Since it got flagged off with fanfare, nothing has been done to develop it. I still say that apart from the then administration of Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, (now Senator representing Abia North district), that remembered to assist when we didn’t have good roads to construct the Obehie/Akwette/Azumini road, no other governnent in Abia has done anything for us in areas of development.
“Chief Orji Kalu appointed our sons into high offices of government, elevating some of them to position of permanent secretaries in the state civil service, made one of them Secretary to the State Government (SSG) with others occupying prominent ministries such as that of agriculture. The Owaza project, to us in Asa, is land grabbing because nothing tangible seems to be going on at the site till this moment.”