An open letter written by Umeh Kalu, SAN, to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (Ph.D.), has gone viral on social media. Some even tagged it: A Bombshell to Okezie Ikpeazu.
I have gone through the so-called ‘bombshell’ only to realize that the author simply wrote his ‘bombshell’ to further confuse Abia state residents. Umeh Kalu’s ‘bombshell’ merely told the people of Abia state what they already knew.
* That Abia state civil servants, including pensioners, are owed months of salary and pension arrears – everyone is aware of this.
* That abandoned projects are littered all over Abia state – this, as well, is not news to the people, they see them everywhere. In fact, the Osisioma flyover is now called ‘Centre Table’.
* And etc.
Mr. Umeh Kalu, SAN, as you can see, there’s nothing in your letter that the residents of Abia state didn’t already know.
Moreover, you stated that the aim of your letter was in part to “possibly proffer solutions towards ameliorating the situation” (the poor state of affairs in our state).
However, as someone who served as the Attorney General of Abia State for 10 years (2009 – 2019), you ought to have told us what we DO NOT know about Abia State.
And before we start proffering solutions to the decay in Abia state, we ought to know what the problems are. You cannot proffer a solution to an unknown problem.
In fact, in your letter, you accepted that you are part of all that is wrong in Abia state and that you will confess your sins in due course. There is no due course other than this moment.
Now that you want to redeem yourself, whether as a born-again Christian or as a born-again politician,, we need you to tell us why there are abandoned projects, and why civil servants and pensioners are not paid.
Tell us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God – our senior advocate.
As you acknowledged in your letter, tell us if those government contracts you co-signed as the Attorney General were genuine contracts. If they were genuine, in your Christian mind, were the contract amount overinflated?
As you stated in your letter, Abia state's monthly FAAC is approximately 4 billion Naira excluding internally generated revenue. Out of that amount, the governor takes 500 million Naira as security votes, and 30 million Naira each is allocated to the deputy governor and the speaker.
Please tell us what happens to the monthly balance of 3.44 billion naira (4 billion less 560 million) since projects are abandoned, and civil servants and pensioners are not paid.
Perhaps, the governor refuses to pay pensioners because he is a blood-sucking monster who loves seeing people suffer. Maybe the balance is used to service Abia's debts, who knows.
By the way, nobody in Abia state knows the debt profile of the state (a well-kept secret), except the top officials of the state like you. In other words, tell us how much Abia state owes banks and the rest of the world.
I can go on and on… but let me stop here. All the same, please tell us the whole truth, that's what the residents of Abia want to hear.
Note: I am not holding brief for the governor of Abia state or defending the speaker, or am I here to attack you, but being a SAN, you must know that those who go to equity must have clean hands.
Meanwhile, you are now telling us that Chinedum Orji was meddlesome when you served in his father’s administration. That he is a mistake, a bastard, a cocaine addict, and most of all, that he struggled to graduate from FUTO.
You knew so much about this meddler (Ikuku), the one you even called an illiterate. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) you continued to serve him as an illiterate de facto governor, which tells so much about who you are in particular, and what is wrong with Abia state in general.
Finally, if you came out to tell Abia residents what they already know, and not what they don’t know about their state, please quietly go back to your cocoon, and continue enjoying your part of Abia's looted treasury. You are part of the problems and shouldn’t pretend to be part of the solutions.
Mr. Umeh Kalu, SAN, I don’t have your contact otherwise I would have sent this text directly to you. But whoever has his contact, please do me a favour, and send a copy to him.
Remember, don’t allow these types of people to fool you, and most importantly,
~ liberate your mind
By Doz Ideas