Abia, Adamawa, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Osun,Taraba and Yobe states celebrated the 31st anniversary of their creation on Saturday with some of them rolling out the drums.
In Osun State, Governor Gboyega Oyetola said the state had kept faith with the vision of its founding fathers to sustainably build “the state of virtue.”
The governor made the declaration in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State said his administration had delivered more than 150 roads in the past seven years to boost its socioeconomic development.
Ikpeazu made the claim in Umuahia on Saturday in a state broadcast to commemorate the 31st anniversary of its creation.
The governor described the road projects as monuments that would testify to the work of his administration.
Ikpeazu said that the roads would also help to stem rural-urban drift.
The governor stated, “We have delivered many pioneering and indelible landmark infrastructural projects across various sectors of Abia.
“A project like the Osisioma interchange has forever changed the traffic narrative at that junction.
“Other roads we have built around Umuahia are all of immeasurable importance to the continued economic vibrancy of Abia.”
However, the All Progressives Grand Alliance expressed deep regrets that at the age of 31, Abia had nothing but failure and retrogression to celebrate.
The state Chairman of APGA, Rev Augustine Ehiemere, said in a statement, “When on August 27, 1991, Abia was created after painstaking efforts of our founding fathers, people thronged to the streets to celebrate the birth of a new state with much expectations.
“Little did we know that 31 years later, Abia State will still be a crawling baby. This is more annoying with the realisation that even younger states created many years after have since started running.
“Wrong drivers and opportunists, who have driven the state craft and leadership wheel of God’s own state, have rather taken us back instead of moving forward.
“Unfortunately, the current PDP-led administration of Okezie Ikpeazu is the worst of all governments so far witnessed in Abia. We wonder what this government will be celebrating as its achievements at Abia @ 31.
“It is disheartening that at 31 years, Abia is celebrating 25 months of salary arrears of doctors; de-accreditation of Abia Polytechnic, Aba, following 30 months of unpaid wages of staff; de-accreditation of the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba; and 10 months of salary arrears of ABSU staff.”
The Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, said the state had achieved a lot in peace and unity since it was created 31 years ago.
Okowa stated this at the interdenominational thanksgiving service to mark the anniversary of the state’s creation at the Government House Chapel, Asaba, on Saturday.
Represented by his deputy, Mr Kingsley Otuaro, the governor said the state had passed through tough times, but had pulled through and became stronger and prosperous because God had been with it.
He said, “Since 2015 when we came into office, it has been God all the way and I recall how tough it was for the state when the price of crude oil went down for a long period.
“We went to God in prayers and also took certain actions like the setting up of the Peace Advocacy Committee Against Oil Facility Vandalism.
“Not too long, God showed up and we started doing things and I can dare say that we have satisfied our God-given conscience by executing people-oriented projects across the state.”
On his part, the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, said his administration was repositioning the state for the future and the good of the younger generations.
The governor said this on Saturday in his state-wide broadcast in commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the creation of Kogi.
Bello said, “Looking at the infrastructural development on the ground, we will have to insist that the Yahaya Bello administration has made impressive efforts to reposition Kogi for the future of our younger generation.
“This effort and our blue prints have the direct effect of enhancing our ability to take advantage of our vast endowments in human and other natural resources for development purposes.
“By making security of lives and property a constant priority, we are in a great position to attract and keep new residents and new investments in our economy to transform the state.”