Outgoing governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, has stated that he is leaving office as a fulfilled man with no resentment towards anyone.
According to The PUNCH, Ikpeazu, who had previously dissolved the state Executive Council, said in his farewell broadcast last night that his tale offered hope to all citizens of the state, adding, “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.”
While wishing the incoming administration well, he added,“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.”
He also stated, “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.
