Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State has developed
more advanced creative and philanthropic brain. His mind of gold in helping
people has made a lot of people in and out of the state to be proud of the
governor. They have attested in many forums that he is not irrational,
bad-tempered, and self-centered as many biased politicians are wont to painting
his image before the unsuspecting public.
The governor does not forsake to be honest and
frank. One Master Chidubem Godswil Tom is among the many persons who have
benefited from Governor Orji’s heart of gold as was testified by the mother,
Ngozi Abochi. Based on the account she gave Vanguard Newspapers, November 4,
2014, titled “How Gov Theodore Orji saved my son— Ngozi Abochi Tom” it behooves
on all the citizens of Nigeria to give Governor Orji claps of ovation for
coming to the rescue of the young Tom who was diagnosed with a
hole-in-the-heart three days after birth.
To show how kind Governor has been, Vanguard had
the following lines on how the governor came to the ‘total’ support to end
Tom’s travail thus: “But for the benevolence of Abia State Governor, Theodore
Orji, Master Chidubem Godswil Tom who was diagnosed with a hole-in-the-heart
three days after birth would not have lived to see his first birthday. Tom is
alive today and his family is ready to tell the story over and over.”
According to Tom’s mother: “I’m a living witness to
the fact that Governor Orji popularly known as T.A. is a man that shares the
joy and sorrow of his subjects. For Instance, when my son Tom was diagnosed of
a hole- in-the-heart two days after his birth, in our bid to get help, the only
place left for my husband and I to go seek help was the spirit world. And then,
the story of my boy’s ill-health was published in some national dailies. When
His Excellency read the plight of little Tom in Vanguard Newspapers, he
immediately invited us. We went and T. A. paid for the boy’s treatment in
India.”
It was noted that the woman said that the National
Honour conferred on the governor as the Commander of the Order of the Niger,
CON, did not just come by chance. According to the source, “For her, the honour
is well deserved because Abians are better off under the administration of the
Governor. Anyone observing and following events in Abia State in the last seven
years would have seen this honour coming. It is a worthy honour, well-deserved
and timely too.
“I think it is a way of the President saying
well-done to his Excellency, T. A. Orji and other recipients for working
tirelessly to keep the nation going. Stories of such humanitarian gestures
abound where Orji had rescued Abians from untimely and avoidable death.
Testimonies abounds that today, the health sector in Abia State has witnessed
tremendous transformation since his coming into power. This could be seen in
the establishment of the state-of-the-art Abia Specialist and Diagnostic Centre
in Umuahia and Aba which completed through a Private-Public Initiative, PPI.
These investments in the health sector are presently saving Nigeria huge
capital flight because a number of medical treatments for which patients would
have been flown abroad are now, carried out in those facilities. These
facilities can compete with those in developed climes.
“The government is presently planning to expand the
scope of services offered at the centre. Also, the renal dialysis and
ophthalmology centre initiated by this administration are billed to take off
soon. About 11 years back, basic infrastructure was practically absent. Those
provided by some of the founding administrations had deteriorated completely.
Abia ranked high among the states with less than optimal healthcare. Presently,
state-owned health facilities which before Orji were ordinary First Aid Units
are now functioning in full capacity. And because the health of Abians is of
paramount importance,the Governor picks up hospital bills of indigent citizens
of the state especially children and the aged.
“Under its primary healthcare services, government
has constructed and equipped more than 210 community health centres in
different parts of the state. These health centres are provided with boreholes
and tricycles to convey patients. “Hospital in each of the senatorial zones in
the state has been equipped and up-graded and at least, one hospital in every
Senatorial Zone has been transformed into a referral hospital for specialist
treatments and diagnosis. The state government has also acquired the defunct
gigantic Alaoma Hospital on Aba Road in Partnership with MEI-CARE of India,
with the intention to make it one of the best referral diagnostic centres in
the South East. In order to compliment the Federal Government to ensure the
attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, has built and equipped
165 health centres.”
No wonder the Chief Press Secretary to the
Governor, Mr. Charles Ajunwa has always said that the performance of the
government of his boss is the best thing that has happened to Abia State, and
counsels critics to stop misleading the reading masses that there is no
government presence in the state. The aide of the government has always been
honest. Since Charles Ajunwa became the CPS to the governor over a year now, he
has been setting many of the stories that were targeted against the governor
straight and here is Mrs. Ngozi testifying to the good works that the governor
has been doing in Abia State.
The testimony by Tom’s mother has gone a long way
to buttress that there are no feeble or serious fears of any looming implosions
in Abia State, the government of the governor or elsewhere in the state, except
the irrelevant clatters that critics are making around the media in their
illusion-mindsets.
A.Hart writes from Lagos
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Opinion