Ebonyi @26: How Ebonyi moves from underdevelopment to Frontline State

Ebonyi State, created on Oct. 1, 1996, by late Military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, prides itself as "Salt of The Nation.''

The state was carved out from Abia and Enugu states. The two areas: Abakaliki bloc carved from Enugu State and Afikpo bloc, carved out from Abia, were known for high level of underdevelopment.

A faculty building at King David University, Uturu

 Infrastructural deficit was very high, literacy level was below national average, while guinea worm infestation was endemic.

It was as a result of this deficit in almost all the sectors, which the people described as criminal marginalisation, that necessitated the agitation for the creation of the state.

On guinea worm endemicity, Prof. Ekanem Braide, then Zonal Facilitator, Nigeria Guinea worm Eradication Programme (NIGEP) has this to say in February 2,000: "As we close our books for 1996, the current status of guinea worm in Ebonyi is that Ebonyi accounts for 3,370 of the 4,684 cases reported in South East zone in 1996.

" This is equivalent to the number of cases reported in India, Cameroon, Yemen, Chad, Mauritania and Benin Republic put together, and about the number of cases Burkina Faso reported in 1996.''

She said that based on the projected case reduction, Ebonyi may carry guinea worm disease into the 21st century.

She, however, said that the state may be guinea worm free by 1999, if there was sustained water supply.

The projection, according to Braide "assumed that everyone in Ebonyi will drink only safe water during 1999 transmission session."

About 3,000 people were infested with full blown guinea worm infection when Gov. Sam Egwu

assumed office on May 29, 1999.

To check the spread, government identified 1,273 ponds for treatment, while 873 were treated.

Government also stepped up health services, which was implemented in 451 endemic villages.

Nigeria did not record any case of guinea worm since 2008, but the country had to wait for the

mandatory period of six years of zero case, before being certified guinea worm free.

The certification, unarguably, was as a result of sustained water policies by the Ebonyi State Government, the most endemic guinea worm area in the world.

It is doubtful, if this massive investments in potable water supply would have been possible if Eboyi was not created.

Dr Paul Okorie, ex-Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport in Ebonyi, said Ebonyi recorded giant strides since the state was created.

 Okorie said that selfless contributions, administrative ingenuity and good leadership accounted for the rapid development the state witnessed.

He said: "Ebonyi was in terrible state when it was created and I happened to be one of the key operators from 1996 till 2013.

"Before Ebonyi was created, everywhere, including Abakaliki, the state capital were stinking; heaps of refuse here and there, use of bucket toilets was rampant.

"People were just dying, cholera and guinea worm infestations were endemic; pigs were roaming freely on the streets, competing with humans.

"The military administration created the Ebonyi State Environmental Protection Agency to tackle this environmental menace.

"The Ebonyi we met was in a terrible situation environmentally; water, roads, education and everything was just in a very bad shape.

"First Military Administrator, Walter Feghabor was on hand to tackle the little he could do within the short period he was in office.

"He handed over to Mr Simeon Oduoye, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, who held sway briefly before the advent of civil rule in 1999.

"Dr Sam Egwu was elected first civilian governor in 1999 and served for two terms.

" Egwu, ex-Commissioner for Education under the previous military administrations used the opportunity to articulate the challenges of the state and put education on priority list.

"He awarded free and compulsory primary and secondary education, established the Ebonyi State University (EBSU), and made tuition fees affordable.

" He introduced overseas university exchange scholarship programme, that saw many indigenes of the state pursue their higher degrees in the United Kingdom.

"He revitalised Ezilo and old Abakliki water schemes, which accounted for almost 24-hour water supplies in Abakaliki and its environs, road projects and job creation also received boost.

"Through regular public water supplies, the state was able to tackle and eradicate guinea worm and cholera, the deadly water-borne diseases in the state.

" Ebonyi Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (EBRUWSA) was also on hand to install boreholes in rural areas."

Okorie, said that Chief Martin Elechi, who succeeded Egwu, gave a boost to the development of rural communities, through the building of 36 Unity Bridges to connect communities hitherto separated by rivers.

"Elechi built the ultra-modern Oferekpe and Ukawu water schemes to supply water to the greater percentage of Ebonyi communities, but unfortunately, the projects have not been completed.

"Elechi also encouraged education. During his time, he still gave overseas university scholarships, built model secondary schools with boarding facilities.

" He built the ultramodern state secretariat at Ochudo Centenary City; built Staff Development Centre, among other landmark projects," he added.

Okorie also extolled the incumbent governor, Chief Dave Umahi for the administration's many landmark projects, especially urban and rural roads, flyover bridges, built in many parts of the state.

He called for the construction of more intra-city roads in Abakaliki, establishment of cottage industries to provide jobs and employment opportunities to enhance per capita income of citizens and fast-track development.

A stakeholder, Dr John Otu, echoed that the state has made landmark achievements since its creation.

Otu, one-time Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi, now, a lecturer at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (A-EFUNAI), in Ebonyi harped on the need to sustain the tempo.

Otu noted that Ebonyi was lucky to be endowed with credible leaders, adding that their policy thrusts centred on lifting the state and its people from poverty, illiteracy, disease, infrastructure deficit and backwardness.

He commanded the incumbent governor, Chief Dave Umahi for improving and sustaining the Ebonyi development vision, through his massive landmark infrastructure.

He stressed that Ebonyi has recorded tremendous achievements since 1996.

"If you go through what Ebonyi was before Egwu came on board, you will know that Ebonyi was a sheer desert; nothing was here, it was derisively called 'dust' of the nation, and there was virtually no tarred road in the state.

" Inadequate pipe-borne water supply and that accounted for the high incidences of guinea worm and cholera infestations.

"And of course, successive governments in our older states where the various parts of Ebonyi belonged, marginalised us criminally, so to speak, so much so that the people here in Ebonyi were like urchins and layabouts.

" Gov. Sam Egwu as an academic, knew what was of primary importance to the state and he tackled it head-on, " Otu noted.

"Egwu's administration operated on a kind of mass-oriented governance structure; look at the free and compulsory education which he declared two weeks into his administration and sustained throughout the administration.

" We could count the number of graduates from the state on inception at our fingertips; our teaching hospital then had only two consultants and the Ministry of Health had only nine doctors.

"So, each time we think about the achievements of the state, I ask, how did Ebonyi move from the backwoods to the frontline?" he added.

Otu commended former governors Egwu, Elechi and the current governor, Umahi for sustaining the chain of development in the state and called on future leaders to expand and sustain their efforts.

Incumbent Gov. Dave Umahi, did expand and sustained efforts of his predecessors.

Mr Uchenna Orji, Ebonyi Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, said that Umahi's achievements in road infrastructure, human capital development, accountability and transparency in governance remained unequalled.

He said that Umahi's prudence in fiscal management, coupled with his commitment to human and infrastructural development resulted to massive transformation of the social and economic lives of people of the state.

"The many life-changing physical infrastructural projects conceived and built by the administration had opened up the state for tourism.

"The Umahi administration has also lifted the state from social and economic doldrums as well as launched it into one of the fastest developing states in Nigeria," Orji said.

Orji reiterated that the Umahi administration had built about 16 flyover bridges located across the different parts of the state, including that at Inyere Hill in Ekoli Edda, Afikpo South Local Government Area.

" The administration embarked on aggressive construction and reconstruction of urban and rural roads across the state.

" The Ebonyi Airport project; the King David University of Medical Sciences, at Uburu, the Ebonyi Shopping Mall, and the Ecumenical Centre, among others are some of the landmark physical projects started and completed on recorded time by the administration.

"Ebonyi under Umahi had witnessed the fastest development recorded ever, within the shortest time," Orji said.

He said that in Ebonyi, projects were started and completed "like a miracle and no wasteful ceremony to mark project take off and inauguration.

"When some leaders have no political will to stop waste and corruption, Umahi has the moral temerity and political will to stop waste, corruption and leakages of resources.

"While project execution has been completely halted in some climes, Ebonyi government under Umahi stands tall in the delivery of the dividends of democracy.

"Umahi's infrastructural revolution and his developmental legacy will continue to resonate and be felt by all, even by future generations," he added.

Mr Francis Nwaze, former Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, said that Umahi introduced an uncommon road construction technology, the eight-inch concrete pavement.

He added that the governor embarked on the construction of 13 kilometres of roads in each of the 13 local government areas.

According to him, Umahi's administration has completed the construction of over 600 roads of varing lengths across the state, all in concrete pavements.

Today, the Gov. Umahi administration, in partnership with the African Development Bank, has started the construction of the 198-kilometre Abakaliki Ring Road project in concrete pavement to connect the benefitting eight local government area to the grid of development, he said.

Supreme recalls that the ring road project, first started about 38 years ago, when Chief Jim Nwobodo, was governor of old Enugu State.

Umahi who spoke at the launching of the commencement of the construction, stressed the need for the contractors and community leaders to work in unison for the speedy completion of the project, which will be on concrete pavement.

As Ebonyi people celebrate 26 years of creation of the state, the people have every reason to be happy for the creation of the state.

With commitment by state actors since the state was created, the area now called Ebonyi, hitherto known for gross deficit in infrastructure and human capital, has emerged as one of the states to be reckoned with.