By Emeka Ohaegbu
It’s so unfortunate that the former Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly Engr Chinedum Orji is still suffering from the hangover of losing the House of Representatives election to Hon Obinna Aguocha, and same time missing his exuberance of enjoying the benefit of father and stooge as Governors of Abia State.
It’s pertinent to note that the issues Sir Ako Obioma (AkubaraOha) reminded Dr Alex Otti to be wary of in his advice were known facts in the entire country and not manufactured by Dr Ako Obioma. It was Obvious that Sir Ako Obioma never used any derogatory word, nor intended to malign anybody in the course of his considered advice to Gov Alex Otti.
On the issue of debt owed Sir Ako Obioma’s companies by Abia State Government during the tenure of Sen T. A Orji, Engr Chinedum Orji’s father as Governor of Abia State, which Chinedum and his foot soldiers always refer to, is an expression of guilty conscience by the former first family which Dr Ako has never expressed personally in public domain.
We wish Engr Chinedu Orji could come out open to tell the world the truth about this over N4bn (Four Billion) naira debt which occurred during his father’s tenure as governor, and his role on why Abia State Government refused to pay this money during his father’s regime and Dr Okezie Ikpeazu eight years tenure when he was the Speaker.
It’s obvious that Sir Ako Obioma has consistently refrained from dragging the former first family over this debt because of his love, respect and appreciation to His Excellency Sir T A Orji, but despite his consistent avoidance of dragging this matter, at each comment by Dr Ako Obioma, Chinedu Orji will continue to malign and insult his senior brother and at the same time reminding him of the destruction he and his family inflicted on his hard worked and earned prosperity.
On the issue of always saying that your father failed to pay for the debt because of crooked or over bloated contract, did your father superintend over crooked and over bloated contracts? Did the contracts not pass through stages of award? Where there any mobilization for them and didn’t your family enjoy the excitement and euphoria of commissioning those projects by His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Jonathan?
However, it was a known fact that you instigated your father and Dr Okezie Ikpeazu not to pay because your father was having political differences with Ako Obioma’s Senior brother.
Obviously, in order to avoid anything that may bring direct conflict between Sen T.A Orji whom he often refers to as his Dede (Senior Brother), Dr Ako Obioma in 2016 headed to court against Abia State Government in other to recover his money. Despite winning the case, Chinedum Orji as Speaker pressured then Gov Okezie Ikpeazu for Abia State Government to appeal that the process of resolution as enshrined in the agreement is by arbitration.
The state government took Sir Ako’s companies to arbitration panel in Port Harcourt, River State. As God may have it, the award was resolved in October 2022 in favour of Sir Ako Obioma’s companies, but you Chinedum Orji shamelessly deceived Okezie Ikpeazu that obeying the arbitration and paying Sir Ako’s companies will amount to funding Alex Otti through Hon Acho Obioma (Alex Otti’s Campaign Manager), who incidentally is Chief Ako Obioma’s senior brother.
Till this moment, Ako Obioma and the companies have been patiently waiting on Abia State government to obey both the court and arbitration award by paying the debts as stipulated in the award.
It’s pertinent for readers to know that Abia State, the Nigerian army and Nigerians have been enjoying the benefit of the Army barracks, Ohafia, the almost completed Helipad at Army Linguistic School, Isikwuato and several roads and infrastructures scattered in Abia State constructed by Ako Obioma’s companies under Sen T. A Orji as governor of Abia State which were the subject of this debt matter.
Even the Bible said it, a worker deserves his wage and Ako Obioma and his workers deserve to be paid this over ten years debt and, we advise that everyone that has been following this matter should put himself in the shoes of Ako Obioma and his companies in his judgement.
Note that Sir Ako Obioma and his companies were invited during the menace of OSISIKANKWU to join in rescuing Abia. His companies built all the infrastructure in Army Barracks, Ohafia which the regime of T.A Orji promised former President Goodluck Jonathan regime, as the state’s contribution for construction of Army Barracks, Ohafia to combat the menace of OSISIKANKWU and other criminal gangs that terrorised Abia State at that time.
Without taking any kobo as mobilization, AkubaraOha brought his company of over 250 workers to assist the government develop Abia, you may go throughout all Abia records, there’s nowhere you can see his company was paid mobilization for all works executed. In the course of executing projects without payments, he lost all his capital and his workforce.
He returned to his base in Port Harcourt with less that fifteen staff workforce and for more than ten years struggling to get his debt of over N4billion from Abia State government, yet it’s the same shameless people that enviously put him in this dilemma that keep dragging him at every little comment.
Moreover, is there anything wrong in Ako Obioma and his companies asking to be paid for job perfectly delivered. In fact, in a sane society, Abians and civil society should put pressure on Gov Alex Otti and Abia State government to pay this over lingered debt, especially now that the arbitration panel has delivered the award. What are they waiting to end this matter?
On the issue of Ako Obioma buying exotic cars, I’m so surprise that this family could exhibit such level of envy and destruction on Dr Ako Obioma, whom they knew from Owerri in the late 80s when Chinedum Orji was in primary school and his father a middle-class civil servant.
In Owerri then, Dr Ako Obioma was among the youngest graduate millionaires of our time in1988 when he was about 25 years, driving the latest cars and leaving in the best neighbourhood of Owerri. In fact, he was one of the biggest militaries and Imo State contractors, a very generous young man who was likened to OK 2000, Arthur Eze and Orji Uzo kalu.
On creation of Abia State, Sir Ako Obioma left us in Owerri to become pioneer contractor of Abia State and contributed immensely for the upliftment of the State.
It’s so disheartening that his own people whom he has shown love and the state he contributed to nurture are same people pulling him down.
Chief Emeka Ohaegbu writes from Owerri, Imo State
