Lessons from Abia’s Omission in ThisDay and Arise TV Governor of the Year Awards: How It Eulogizes Efforts of the Opposition in Holding Otti’s Government Accountable | #NwokeukwuMascot

 Opinion 

Lessons from Abia’s Omission in ThisDay and Arise TV Governor of the Year Awards by Obinna Oriaku | #NwokeukwuMascot

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There are many lessons to learn from the nomination of the ThisDay and Arise TV Governor of the Year Awards. The omission of Abia State from the list and its implications are worth examining, especially as the awards featured notable governors from states such as Kaduna, Delta, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom.

ThisDay and the Arise group are among the most credible media sources in Africa. Their selection of governors from these states underscores the credibility of the survey and its reflection of the people’s votes.

This should be a source of concern for the Governor’s media team, particularly given the substantial sums spent on media and propaganda.

It suggests that most people are discerning and able to filter the information they receive from different states.

The lesson here—if they are willing to learn—is to go back to the drawing board and change their strategy. The noise and fake news surrounding Geometric Power and the 24-hour power gamble did them no favors, alongside other fabricated stories.

For us in Abia, we don’t need media ratings to validate the realities of our government. We were all at home during this Christmas season, and many are still in the villages. We took time to hear directly from workers and pensioners. Many saw the state of roads in our local governments and the level of work being done. People passed through the bus terminals in Aba and Umuahia, saw the Eyimba Hotels, and heard the Medical City announcements—even though the land for it has yet to be secured. Nde media!

The ThisDay and Arise TV nominations are a plus for the opposition because they show that many people are reading “the other news” beyond what the government-controlled media churns out. Let us redouble our efforts by being constructive in our engagements. Abia is still far from the picture being painted by the government.

What many don’t realize is that in November 2024, a record N1.7 trillion was shared among the three tiers of government as monthly allocation—the highest since creation. Abia State should have received about N18.6 billion. Yes, N18.6 billion. But they will never want you to know this because they want to appear as though they are doing better than past administrations, even when the circumstances are vastly different. Nde erirri eri.

Unfortunately, they remain fixated on judging their performance against past governments that received N3.7 billion, N4 billion, or N7 billion in monthly allocations. They’ll claim devaluation of the naira, yet that hasn’t translated into significant improvements. Pension figures, for instance, remain the same as they were during the OUK era, except for recent retirees. Pension is calculated based on the last basic salary, after all.

Can we point to any project in Abia worth N50 billion? Unfortunately, they hide figures like smugglers hide cocaine at airports. If you speak up, they’ll drag you to court—even when you have evidence of their fraud. We are already in court with them. Oriaku has gone beyond the level of intimidation. Nde eloro elo.

That said, I still commend the neatness of Abia. Kudos to the team responsible. However, we need to move beyond simply dumping refuse to implementing recycling systems for other uses.

I don’t want to enter the market too early. All markets are shut until Monday. I refuse to be counted among Nde eloro elo. What about you?

Welcome to 2025. We are energized to hold this government accountable. They read everything we write, and the impact is visible. The SA Revenue was sacked or redeployed after I wrote about Enugu generating N18 billion monthly in IGR.

Now, let me return to my holiday.

©️Ekwedike