I Feel Fulfilled As I Leave Office, Ikpeazu Declares

The outgoing governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, has said he is exiting the state’s number one office as a fulfilled man with no grudge against anyone.

In his farewell broadcast last night, Ikpeazu who had earlier dissolved the state Executive Council, said his story offers hope to all residents in the state, adding that “All things considered, I leave office a fulfilled man.”

He said, “The son of a teacher and a nurse who rose to become Governor of Abia State and who did his best for his people. My story offers hope to all Abians. Remain diligent in your endeavours, and there is no limit to the heights you can attain.”

The governor who reviewed his achievements in the state said, “Again, I place it on record that I wish the incoming government well.

“I bear no grudge against anyone. I harbour no ill-feelings. My heart is full of gratitude. I have played my part. I have done my best. I shall remain available to offer support when called upon, and without a doubt, we have laid a solid foundation for the incoming government to build upon.

“I state unequivocally that I wish the incoming governor all the best as he pilots the affairs of this state. I call on all Abians and residents of Abia State to give him your maximum support. Government and governance is a continuum. It is a relay race. We have run our race and we will hand over the baton today to a new government. They will be picking up from where we stopped and adding to the development of Abia State,” Ikepeazu remarked further.

He added, “They will not need to execute the projects we have already executed. They will execute new ones all to the benefit of the people of Abia State. That is the essence of governance. Where one administration stops, another administration will continue.”

The outgoing governor noted that, “The last eight years has been a journey. A journey in unshaken fidelity to our covenant with the people of Abia State, a journey in the unprecedented transformation of the infrastructural landscape of Abia State. In the course of the last eight years, there were highs and naturally, there were lows too, but without a shadow of doubt, we are leaving Abia State better than we met it.

“Prior to our assumption of office, we had outlined our plan of action detailing key areas we wanted to focus on as encapsulated in our contract document with the people of Abia State. We promised to focus on five pillars of development, comprising – Education, Agriculture, Trade and Commerce, Industries, and Oil and Gas.

“The five pillars were designed to rest on enablers for their effective impact, and these enablers included Infrastructural Development, Healthcare Delivery, Security, Fiscal Responsibility, Ease of Doing Business, Peace and Harmony.

“With these clear markers of our destination, we set out on the journey to transform Abia State, and I am proud to announce today that we achieved what we set out to achieve,” he stressed.

Concluding, Ikepeazu pointedly told Abians: “My beloved Abians, I close the curtain here. I commend you to the support and protection of God in heaven to whom this state has been dedicated from birth. This is God’s own state, and the will of God will continually be done in Abia State.”