At 31: I Wonder If Abia Is Cursed- PFN Secretary, Amalambu *Says we’re only celebrating life *State bedeviled by corruption

At 31: I Wonder If Abia Is Cursed- PFN Secretary, Amalambu
*Says we’re only celebrating life
*State bedeviled by corruption

By Charity Uwakwe

The Secretary of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Abia State Chapter, Rev. Dr. Blessed Amalambu has bemoaned the poor standard of living of Abians since the creation of the State.

Rev. Amalambu who is also the State Coordinator of National Anti-Corruption Volunteer Corps (NAVC) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), regretted that the corruption had, over the years, bedeviled the State, thereby resulting in her seemingly snail-pace movement

The clergy lamented that the state lacked the various social amenities, which other developed sister-states are characterised by,
that characterised developed cities that have evidently faired progressively.

Rev. Amalambu spoke during an exclusive interview with famousreporters.com, in Umuahia, the state’s capital, insisting that, at 31, the inhabitants of Abia had not so particularly to celebrate except for the gift of life from God.

He decried the penurious condition of the state, as he attributed the low standard of living of the inhabitants to non payment of salaries and gratuities of workers and pensioners, respectively.

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  Amalambu stated pointedly that the state was bedeviled by corruption, which he wailed had crippled the economy and consequently turning same into an object of mockery, as he argued whether the state was under a spell.

Hear him:
“The standard of living in Abia is so very low because workers in the State are not being paid. So, if we talk about celebrating Abia, we only thank God because we’re alive; we thank God because he has given us peace which is very very important and key to development but other areas corruption has so bedeviled Abia to a point that we cannot see any meaningful development in the State.

“So, all I’m saying is that, I don’t know whether it’s a curse upon Abia that our past and present leaders have not deemed it necessary to embark on progressive ventures to develop Abia and improve the standard of living of Abians.

“When you talk about what makes a progressive and developed state, you consider the health facilities, consider how the infrastructure in the medical and Health Managing Boards and Hospital. Often times, the public health facilities are nothing to write home about, you can not obtain good medication because of the workers there are not being paid, Doctors are always on strike because they are being owed many months and they have been on strike for many months, leaving Abians at the mercy of private hospital which is not a good thing.

Continuing, the embittered Abian said:
“If you want to talk about, talk about our institutions, when we go round the public institutions from primary to secondary and to tertiary is lacgging behind so much because no facilities to encourage good learning and good teaching which adversely affect our children. Which one do I outline and which do I discard? this non payment of salaries of teachers and none tutorial staff make it also
We may see strike which also set back the academic sector of the state, if we talk about other areas such like good road networks that’s the most disheartening aspect of Abia. Up until today, Abia state remains the worst state with the road network. Every other state around Abia enjoys smooth ride with minimum or no pot holes.

“For instance, Ebony state, Akwa-Ibom, calabar, I have driven those areas, Enugu and the rest of them. But when it comes to Abia, Abia roads are like dead trap which is, Aruchukwu for instance, it will take you 4-5 hours to get to Aruchuchwu and many other neighboring cities within Abia. So you see that Abia has not faired well, What about Electricity which is an area of concern and the a yardstick for measuring a developed city, nation or state, to determine its progress.

On his to Abians on the anniversary, he said:

“Now that the election is so close, we should shine our eyes if we really have Abia at heart. If you compare Abia with Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi and Enugu states, you will see and feel the impact of good leadership in those States. You will see basic amenities, good road network and other positive things but when you come back to Abia, you will think that Abia is under a curse.

“So we can break that curse through fervent prayers and voting wisely to vote out corruption. Let Abia youths and the workers who are the worst victims of corrupt leadership arise and vote in credible men and women; people who hate evil, people that have the mind and might to develop Abia and give Abians what they need, right from the governor to the State House of Assembly.

“Let there be a holistic appraisal of how we vote in the year 2023 general election. We should use our Permanent Voter Cards wisely and religiously vote in credibility. We should remember that when the righteous is on the throne, you will see progress, prosperity and the standard of living of the people will improve because the man that fears the Lord is at the helm of affairs.”