INDIGENES of Abia State resident overseas have called on Governor Theodore Orji to within the next 12 months conduct elections to elect people to constitutionally govern the 17 local councils of the state.It was learnt that the last council election in the state was held in January 2008, almost immediately Orji assumed office in 2007 for his first term and elections have not been held again after the tenure of the last elected officials ended two years after. And since, appointees have run the 17 local councils, an arrangement, which however is in accordance with the provisions of the state local council law.Conduct of the election has been said not to be feasible in view of the prevailing insecurity in the state, especially owing to rising cases of kidnapping, which did not permit for electioneering campaigns.It was also gathered that funds to prosecute the election were never appropriated all these years.The theme of the Abia indigenes convention held in Holiday Inn, Dedham, Massachusetts, USA where the ultimatum was issued was 'For the Good Health and Wellbeing of Abians'. It had participants from the U.S. and Canada with Governor Orji being represented by his Adviser on Diaspora Matters, Dr. Ben Chiji Aaron.The Abians who also urged the state government to urgently repair the bad roads and other dilapidated infrastructures, added that the governor should settle any outstanding workers' salaries, especially those of the teachers. They expressed belief that doing these will attract investorsto the state.In their post-convention statement made available to The Guardian, the Abia State Association of North America (ASNA) stated its resolve to work with the state leadership, the private sector and others to constructively develop and implement realisable programme that would address the problems confronting the state.The group expressed worry over the condition of the state healthcare, which it noted requires attention, adding that ASNA will not only undertake what it called pharmaceutical mission, but will shortly after follow it up with a medical mission.The Orji government said it has built 165 health centres in communities in the 17 councils and specialist diagnostic centres in Aba and Umuahia as well as upgrading facilities at the general hospitals.Keynote speaker at the conference and U.S.-based professor of medicine, Dr. Ndubueze Okonkwo raised posers on the Nigerian healthcare sector, describing it as deplorable. He urged Abians in the Diaspora not to be just spectators and critics but to partake in finding solution to the problems.Also, Prof. Kalu Ndukwe Kalu of Auburn University in the USA who spoke on 'National Development Planning: Foundational Principles', asked Abians abroad to monitor and get involved in affairs at home and to query why nothing, development-wise, has happened in the last 21 years.Orji had in his address to the people of the state to mark its 20 years anniversary recently, seemingly corroborated Kalu's remarks that the state actually had not recorded expected growth. Heattributed this to failure of the state's past military administrators and leaders to develop the state in line with vision of its founding fathers.
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