Best performing Governor

Posted by admin | 8 years ago | 2,793 times

Dr Okezie Ikpeazu is the best performing Governor

Factnewsonline editors and reporters yesterday unanimously declared Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State as the best performing Governor among first term governors sworn in May 29th 2015.

Our team reviewed available information and data on the activities of the elected chief executives of Nigerian states sworn in a year ago using the following parameters:

1. Hit the ground running
2. Management/Application of resources to the most important needs of the state.
3. Transparency in government business
4. Connection with common folks
5. Inspiring hope in the people
6. Effective Management of conflicts
7. Innovativeness in problem solving
8. Clarity of vision
9. Quantum and quality of projects executed per Naira received
10. Quality of cabinet members
11. Regularity in payment of salaries
12. Respect for democratic institutions

On each of the listed parameters, marks were awarded to the governors based on available information/data and Governor Ikpeazu emerged the best performing first term leader of a Nigerian state in the past 12 months by securing 67% overall.
Governor Akinwumi Ambode came second with 62% while Katsina's Governor Aminu Masari scored 58% to make 3rd position based on the listed parameters.

The State Governors elected in 2015 are:

Abia State Dr Victor Ikpeazu
Party: PDP.

Adamawa State Jibrilla Jindow
Political Party: APC.

Akwa Ibom Emmanuel Udom
Party: PDP.

Bauchi State
Barrister Mohammed Abubakar
Political Party: APC.

Benue State
Samuel Ortom
Political Party: APC.

Borno State
Kashim Shettima
Political Party: APC.

Cross River State
Prof. Ben Ayade
Political Party: PDP.

Delta State
Ifeanyi Okowa
Political Party: PDP.

Ebonyi State
Dave Umahi
Political Party: PDP.

Enugu State
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
Political Party: PDP.

Gombe State
Ibrahim Dankwambo
Political Party: PDP.

Jigawa State
Alhaji Badaru Abubakar
Political Party: APC.

Kaduna State
Nasirel Rufai
Political Party: APC.

Kano State
Umar Ganduje
Political Party: APC.

Katsina State
Aminu Masari
Political Party: APC.

Kebbi State
Atiku Bagudu
Political Party: APC.

Kwara State
Abdulfatah Ahmed
Political Party: APC.

Lagos State
Akinwumi Ambode
Political Party: APC.

Nasarawa State
Umaru Al-Makura
Political Party: APC.

Niger State
Abubakar Sanu-Lulu Bello
Political Party: APC.

Ogun State
Ibikunle Amosun
Political Party: APC.

Oyo State
Abiola Ajimobi
Political Party: APC.

Plateau State
Rt Hon Simon Lalong
Political Party: APC.

Rivers State
Nyesom Wike
Party: PDP.

Sokoto State
Aminu Tambuwel
Political Party: APC.

Taraba State
Mr. Darius Ishaku
Party: PDP.

Yobe State
Ibrahim Geidam
Political Party: APC.

Zamfara State
Abdul Azeez Abubakar
Political Party: APC.

*Some of the governors are on their second terms and were not considered for the purpose of this review.
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Brief Summary

Dr Okezie Ikpeazu of PDP defeated Alex Otti of APGA to emerge as the executive Governor of Abia State following one of the most rancorous contests in the 2015 election rounds. The results of the initial ballot was declared inconclusive by INEC with Dr Okezie leading the pack of 3 major contestants fielded by PDP, APGA and APC. He subsequently won the plurality of votes in the supplementary polls to emerge governor-elect of the state.

For months he was involved in deeply distracting legal tussle with the APGA candidate but continued to deliver dividends of democracy to the people even while fighting at the legal front. The Supreme Court finally affirmed his position as dully elected governor of Abia state 9 months after his inauguration on the 4th of February 2016.

It will be recalled that following his inauguration on the 29th of May 2015, the Governor reported to work on his first day to flag off four (4) road reconstruction works at Aba. Since then he has flagged off 67 road construction efforts across the 3 geopolitical zones of the state with 27 completed or already commissioned. Others are at various stages of completion.

The Governor introduced rigid pavement technology (Cement technology) to road construction at Aba to ensure 20-30 years life span for the new roads and mitigate against topographical challenges in the commercial city. He also directed contractors to ensure that all the new roads come with gutters and street lights to protect against flooding and also extend business hours for traders in the city.

Other neighboring states have since copied the use of cement technology in road construction as a result of Governor Okezie's pioneering effort.

Challenged by dwindling federal revenue allocations to the marginally oil producing state, the Governor was compelled to apply for bail out funds of N14.15b from the CBN to offset outstanding salaries. The judicious deployment of the bailout funds was applauded by Labour union representatives and independent assessors including ICPC.

Prior to his emergence as Governor, the state was receiving an average of N4b monthly as federal allocation with IGR of N300m. Owing to dwindling oil prices and reduced production output due to violent sabotage of Nigeria's oil resources, Abia state under Governor Ikpeazu have been receiving an average of N2b monthly with the allocation for April 2016 at an all time low of N1.7b.

Having inherited a state with a monthly wage bill of N2.5b, Governor Ikpeazu embarked on technology driven removal of ghost workers from the state's pay roll leading to savings of N350m between June and November 2015. Yet the federal allocation to the state is not enough to pay the current monthly wage bill of N2.35b for the state's civil service. IGR in the state is reported to have grown to between N500m to N700m monthly, from our checks, yet the Governor is reported to be reluctant to increase the burden of tax payers in the state "until his government has improved their lot and given them reasons to pay more".

Rather than sack workers from the civil service as a result of the dwindling revenue profile of the state, the former university teacher opted to temporarily rotate salary payments using an innovative template that has ensured that workers in the state are not owed more than a month's salary before the receipt of the next allocation.

Yet it is important to note that the governor scored his least points among the listed parameters on regularity of salary payment. He had promised during the campaigns to clear all the outstanding salaries and pay workers every 24th of the month. Aside from the irregular payment of salaries, there are still issues of outstanding allowances and gratuities inherited by the Governor that are yet to be resolved. Pensioners in the state are still at least 2 months behind in payments.

With the dwindling fortunes of the state, it is gratifying to note that the Governor has continued to deliver on many fronts through prudent management and application of funds. He has cut off hitherto massive expenses associated with political sycophancy and cut his own salary by 50%. He is also running one of the least flamboyant administrations with the smallest convoys as well as refocused the administration to fund most projects through public private partnership (PPP).

With Aba as the commercial hub of his state and the south east region, Governor Ikpeazu is executing the most profound urban renewal agenda in the city and Umuahia since the days of former Imo State Governor Chief Sam Mbakwe.

Sanitation practices have improved, gutters desilted, Aba River dredged to enable free flow of storm water that collects from across Aba city and a new traffic management agency formed to improve traffic flow in the city. He has also embarked on the construction of massive surface drainage systems to replace the dysfunctional colonial era underground drainage system at Aba.

Additionally, Governor Okezie has improved intra-city transport within Aba and Umuahia through the deployment of new electronically monitored buses and taxis managed by private transportation operators with government support.

To improve security in his state, Governor Ikpeazu donated 27 new vehicles fitted with communication gadgets to the state police command and the military. The state's vigilante service was recently re-energized with additional 7540 men added to the outfit to improve neighborhood watch and community policing. He has also not shied away from implementing the state's anti-kidnap laws that prescribed total demolition of properties used to detain kidnap victims.

The Governor popularly called "Okezuo Abia" also embarked on job creation efforts through the novel education for employment program of his administration as well as supporting moribund factories like the glass factory at Aba and golden Guinea brewery to return to production and help in creating jobs.

There are noticeable improvements in the educational sector with the launch of his "Adopt a School" program aimed at deploying private funds to rebuild infrastructure at primary and secondary schools in the state. Teachers welfare and training in the state have improved with the collaboration of the government and a frontline Australian education service providers who are currently retraining teachers in the state. Recently, 3 teachers from the 3 senatorial zones of the state received car gifts from the governor for outstanding performance and diligence to duties. More than 120 other teachers received e-learning pre-loaded tablets as gifts from the governor.

The connection of Governor Ikpeazu to common folks in his state is second to non among the reviewed states. His rise to the position of Governor from a background of teacher father and nurse mother has inspired many in the state. The self styled "common Governor" is a regular face at churches, eating joints and places where ordinary Abians congregate.

Since his inauguration as governor he has popularized made in Aba clothes and shoes by always wearing and promoting locally manufactured materials. He also took tailors and cobblers from the state on a trip to Turkey to learn new ways of mass producing their products with better quality and assisted them to acquire new machines and materials to improve their output.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has not done everything he promised to do, as tracked by us using NICAMPROM platform but he is certainly on track as can be gleaned from the full report we have published on his administration as received and verified. We are also publishing pictures and videos of some of the projects.

Judged against the state of things in Abia before his emergence and the resources available to him, Factnewsonline is proud to showcase him as our adjudged best performing new Governor for the period May 29th 2015 to May 29th 2016.

-Editorial Team

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