Abia state government plans To Boost The Economic Development in the state ,

ABSG PLANS TO BOOST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,

ASSURES INVESTORS OF CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT

In a bid to create wealth and deliver her people from poverty, the Abia State Government has announced plans to boost economic development in the State.

The Commissioner for information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu disclosed this while briefing news men at Government House, Umuahia on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting chaired over by Governor Alex Otti, OFR. He stated that that government is
encouraging investments and creating conducive environment for businesses to thrive in the State.

“Abia State is home to all and the government welcomes business men and investors from within and outside the country to the State provided they are serious minded and willing to operate within the confines of the existing laws of the State.”

The Commissioner assured investors and perspective investors that would provide every enabling environment for all businesses to thrive.

“Government would continue to provide enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the State. Government therefore enjoins the investors to be socially responsible within the environment in which they operate.”

He said that Abia State Government is much more committed to attracting investors and make life better for the citizens and residents.

Prince Okey Kanu further disclosed that the State Government has issued demolition notice to traders who have erected illegal structures at Lokpanta Cattle Market in Umunneochi LGA. He said that the State Government resolved to demolish the illegal structures built around the Lokpanta Cattle Market to ensure that sanity and security are maintained in the market.

“Demolition notice has been served on those who left the market to go and erect illegal structures at the Umunneochi Trailer Park at Lokpanta. Government is determined to ensure sanity and security within and around the market and government is determined to ensure that that market remains a daily market. What has happened is that, as the market was been fenced , some misguided people left the market and went to the trailer park to erect illegal structures. So, upon noticing that , government decided to issue them with a demolition notice.

He said that the fencing of Lokpanta Cattle Market is almost completed, insisting that government would not tolerate the attitude of operating outside the fenced market.

“Government will not tolerate that, arrangements are being made to ensure that even within the fenced market they operate with all the facilities that would need and that the environment which they operate with”

The Commissioner, who informed that the Arungwa Trailer Park is almost completed as works have reached 90 percent added that the government appreciates the excitements that have followed the commissioning of the Geometric Power plant in Aba for the support Governor Otti extended to the power project as well as the encomiums showed on it over the three roads commissioned in Aba which has brought the number of roads rehabilitated so far by Governor Alex Otti.

Responding to a question by journalists on the issue of the alleged 5 percent equity attracted by the immediate past administration in the State for Geometric Power, Prince Okey Kanu said that Geometric Power plant is a private sector led investment and added that,

“You don’t speak about things that don’t exist . At the point of hand over from the previous government , I don’t think there is any existence of any relationship in terms of finance or financial commitment on the part of government of the State in Geometric Power plant. We don’t need to speak to something that doesn’t exist”

Contributing, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, emphasized that government is an institution and there is a certain standard a government is expected to operate on. He maintained that ,

“At this point, we do not have any document, any information. Of course the former government did not submit any document to us upon which we would base whatever comment we are going to make .So as long as we do not have any document, what it implies is that to the best of our knowledge, such does not exist.”

” We have heard from the spokes persons of the former government claim that there was an agreement. Of course, we have been told that the State invested 5 million Dollars in Geometric which gave them the opportunity to have a 5 percent equity there ,now from what I read and I believe others read a few days ago , the former Commissioner for Information still repeated the same claim but this time around, they claimed that the whole money was not paid that a certain amount of money was paid and I think that formed the basis for the Chairman of Geometric to have said what he said a few days ago because if there was an agreement or may be a verbal agreement that a certain amount of money will be invested and which will give you the platform to have the said equity and you did not fulfil your own side of the agreement, it would be assumed that it never happened.”

” We are a government, we will actually be happy to see that something was invested , that we are inheriting something from these people, that we have a stake but I am saying, there is no document. And if you started a process with these people and you refuse to keep your own side of the bargain, you have given such people the opportunity to say nothing exist , you do not have any stake . So, that is the situation. We wouldn’t want anybody to say that we are trying to dismiss whatever claims the former government may be making “