THE HALLUCINATION OF A CLOWN: THE NEW ABIA IS NO LONGER A CIRCUS WHERE YOU PERFORMED.
“The awkward moment is
when you know the truth, and they still continue to lie.” – Ghufra Fatima.
The former Commissioner for information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu has become a funny entertainer, content creator and a comedian who makes people laugh with his lies, fake news and misinformation. He is lying to Abians who already know the truth, just for damage control and face-saving.
In the early days of Governor Alex Otti’s administration, Chief John Okiyi Kalu was repeatedly quoting imaginary ‘Billions’ left in Abia State coffers by his failed boss while owing workers and pensioners, months and years arrears of salaries and pensions. To Abians, JOK as he is fondly called, was like a clown performing in a circus to entertain the people. He earned a stage name, ‘John Billion’ for his ‘outstanding’ daily ‘Billions’ performance.
When JOK’s daily ‘Billions’ Jokes and Contents became stalled and monotonous, he switched to the illusionary claim that every project embarked or completed by Governor Alex Otti, was his Boss’s kinetic initiative or project, imaginarily 60% – 90% completed by the worst Governor in the history of the fourth Republic. Just like John Billion believed his own lies on the reality and tangibility of their billboard projects, he was entertaining real people living along Port-Harcourt Road, Ohanku Road, Obiohia Road, and Omuma Road, etc, that their nightmares and sorrows were completed 60% to 90% during their wasted 8 years in Government. The lies of John Billion became fun and entertainment to the victims of the malicious demolitions without compensation, and the eventual abandonment by the Government where JOK proudly served and they have been making huge laugh out of JOK’s funny lies as they watch the reconstruction of their Roads abandoned in ruins and despair by JOK and the Government he ‘proudly’ served.
Our finding is that the immediate past administration were demolishing houses and properties of innocent people in the guise of preparing for reconstruction as a ploy to access, swindle and extort funds from donor agencies in the form of grants, loans and aids. No wonder they left Abia with almost N200 Billion debt profile with nothing to show for it. Unsuspecting Nigerians may fall for such expired format but Abians know that JOK has mastered the audacity of lying without a blink.
On the 46.36km Umuahia – Uzuakoli – Akara – Alayi – Abiriba Highway, reconstructed by Abia State Government under His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, all communities along that corridor are grateful and happy especially my Abiriba Community who were already cut-off from the rest of the State as our Ohafia, Abam, Edda and Arochukwu brothers had devised alternative routes to access their communities, leaving Abiriba in the middle of nowhere at the end point of the abandonment. Our people were so lucky that our Ozuitem and Igbere brothers where we were using as bypass to access Abiriba are hardworking communities with zero tolerance for armed robbery, kidnapping and ceding their space as safe haven for criminals.
The people of Abia North, especially, Abiriba are ashamed of our prodigal son and brother who partook in the deliberate policy of cutting-off his zone for a porridge of yam. The sanity of our son and brother has become a zonal concern and we are looking for a potent medication to normalise him. We apologise on his behalf and appeal to the Government and people of Abia State to continue laughing-off his funny entertainment of lies, misinformation, mischieve and fake news.
During the administration of Ex-Governor Ikpeazu where JOK served, they claimed that they could not work on Umuahia – Uzuakoli – Akara – Alayi – Abiriba – Ohafia – Arochukwu Highway because it was a federal Road. Governor Otti just completed 2 sections of the Road and comedian JOK is now claiming that a Road connecting a whole zone abandoned for 8 years was in his Boss’s inconclusive RAAMP project application. For the records, RAAMP Road Projects are World Bank funded projects with defined and predetermined specification, on the funding terms and conditions agreement, reached with the benefitting State.
The Umuahia to Arochukwu Highway was flagged-off before Abia State World Bank RAAMP funds was due for draw-down and access. The Government of Dr. Alex Otti does not lie, like the billboard Government under which JOK served. The government of Governor Otti will always acknowledge any World Bank funded project/programme including RAAMP and other intervention or partnership projects/programme. The Umuahia – Arochukwu Road cannot be a RAAMP project as the quality exceeded the quality of RAAMP Road Projects as agreed and approved by World Bank with the last administration.
The antics of serial liars like JOK and Obinna Oriaku are public knowledge riddled with jokes as comic relief. They muddle-up stories to distort well known and established realities. Just like Obinna Oriaku mischievously muddled ‘Project Ekwueme’, a completely 100% Abia State Government 200 PHCs upgrading project with a different initiative of the World Bank to upgrade 67 PHCs in the State under the World Bank Impact Project. The flagging-off of RAAMP projects across the State has been temporary put on the hold to resolve the issues around the quality of the World Bank RAAMP Road Projects as agreed with the immediate past administration. The World Bank RAAMP Road Projects Loan Funding Plan processed and signed with the immediate past Government had inherent terms and conditions unacceptable to Governor Otti. As a seasoned Banker and Financial Guru, Governor Otti understands that the fund is a Loan to be repayed by the State and insist that it must be applied on quality road projects or be rejected. The renegotiation is ongoing at the highest level to ensure that the RAAMP facility is applied effectively on durable Roads for the good of Abians. Therefore, the lies and misinformation about World Bank RAAMP projects and ADB Loan being peddled by the usual suspect and serial liar is not only untrue but blatant fabrications. The ongoing strategic Port-Harcourt Road project soon to be completed by the construction giant, Julius Berger and the Umuahia – Ohafia Highway, just commissioned by the Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, have absolutely nothing to do with John Billion’s World Bank RAAMP Loan and ADB Loan being peddled on his social media walls to deceive the unsuspecting public.
The Government of Dr. Alex Otti does not take credit for projects not executed by her like JOK who as commissioner was coveting credit for the performance of private schools in Abia State while the Government he was trying to hype was busy selling and coveting public schools across the State.
Finally, JOK should borrow and harken to the advice of Ex-Governor T. A. Orji to his Boss and ‘CARRY HIS CROSS’. He should be bold enough to provide answers to his fans and foes asking him why the Road leading to his village was left in dilapidation and ruins by his Boss. He must learn to take the knock and hit without involving Governor Otti and his Government for doing in less than 2 years, what he and his boss could not do in 8 years.
As a reply to JOK’s fictional article about the commissioning of the Umuahia – Abiriba Road, the uncomfortable truth about the commissioning of the Umuahia – Uzuakoli – Akara – Alayi – Abiriba Highway is that JOK will be uncomfortable driving on a comfortable road built by his nightmare and nemesis, to Abiriba without the uncomfortable use of the uncomfortable bypasses to access his beautiful Abiriba community. I know and understand bitterness of JOK; his slogan and popular chorus, ‘Otti can never be Governor’ is a failed prophecy.
Ctz. UKOHA NJOKU UKOHA
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
16-04-2025
