Ebonyi governor’s aide responds to KAA’s criticisms over infrastructure, sanitation and investment climate 

News, Politics

ABAKALIKI, Nigeria (NPA) — The Special Assistant to the Ebonyi State Governor on New Media, Leo Ekene Oketa, has responded to criticisms by Ebonyi-born writer and KaaTruths Podcast host, Kel Armstrong Amobi, over governance, infrastructure, environmental sanitation and resource management in the state.

Amobi, in an open letter to Governor Francis Nwifuru on Sunday, urged the governor to engage skilled Ebonyians who have built careers and businesses outside politics in developing practical strategies for growing the state’s economy and improving its public image.

Amobi said his platforms reach more than 60 million people monthly and claimed that he had consistently promoted Ebonyi through his podcast, articles and international engagements.

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However, after a recent visit to the state, he expressed concern over what he described as deteriorating infrastructure, poor sanitation and declining business activity.

He cited his experience travelling through Abakaliki and other parts of the state, including Vanco Junction, the Meat Market tunnel, Nwofe and the Abakaliki Rice Mill area.

Amobi questioned the planning and execution of some ongoing projects, including the Vanco Junction tunnel and the Nwofe flyover, and also raised concerns about the condition of roads, bridges and public spaces.

He further criticised the state government’s handling of the airport, noting that he had to use the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu rather than Ebonyi Airport.

Amobi also alleged that businesses were leaving the state and said he had personally abandoned projects worth hundreds of millions of naira because of what he described as an unfavourable business environment.

He urged the governor to engage successful Ebonyians and investors in developing the state, arguing that a clear vision, credible plans and visible commitment would help restore confidence.

“Ebonyi has thousands of intelligent, accomplished and passionate sons and daughters who want to help build the state,” Amobi said. “Give them a genuine invitation and show them that your government is ready to act.”

He also criticised what he described as worsening refuse disposal and environmental sanitation in parts of Abakaliki.

Governor’s aide responds

Responding on September 27, Oketa acknowledged Amobi’s right to criticise the government but said the assessment was based on a limited experience of the state.

Oketa argued that Ebonyi should not be defined by one journey through Abakaliki or observations of individual roads, flyovers or the airport.

He said the Nwifuru administration inherited both challenges and projects from previous governments and had pursued what he described as a policy of continuity, maintenance, expansion and new development.

According to Oketa, the administration has invested in roads, bridges, education, healthcare, agriculture, industrialisation, technology, housing and human capital development.

He cited the development of the ICT University at Oferekpe and the University of Aeronautic Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, as well as scholarships, recruitment of health workers, hospital upgrades, ambulances and expanded health insurance coverage.

Oketa also pointed to investments in fertiliser production and distribution, agricultural mechanisation, rice and cassava processing and other initiatives aimed at increasing the economic value derived from agriculture.

He listed the rehabilitation of the state’s Pipe Production Company and Fertilizer Chemical Company, a 10-storey building at Presco Junction and plans for a new cement factory among projects he said were being pursued by the administration.

He rejected Amobi’s description of Ebonyi as a “wasteland”, arguing that the scale of public investment across several sectors contradicted such a characterisation.

Oketa, however, said the government had not completed its work and acknowledged that there were areas requiring further attention.

He also challenged Amobi to provide details of the businesses and projects he said he had abandoned, including what he believed the government had done or failed to do.

“My brother, if you have ideas that can attract investment, create jobs, develop the creative economy or improve Ebonyi’s visibility internationally, bring them forward,” Oketa said.

He also invited Amobi to identify potential investors and their requirements, saying such information could help the government improve the investment environment.

Oketa urged stakeholders to present both the achievements and shortcomings of the state, rather than portraying Ebonyi as either perfect or hopeless.

He said the state remained a work in progress and called for contributions from accomplished Ebonyians to support its development.

The exchange has brought renewed attention to competing assessments of governance, infrastructure, sanitation and investment conditions in Ebonyi State, with both sides calling for greater engagement in the state’s development.