Abakaliki And The Governor Umahi Magic (Photos)

Many Landscapes have been so utterly transformed in so little time as the slice of South Eastern Nigeria called Abakaliki. The terrain itself, until a few decades ago, was mocked as “The Dust of the Nation.” Visitors who dared to venture into it ended with a bitter taste in the mouth. Being an
Abakaliki man was a mark of shame.

The Abakaliki I knew could not even boast of one tarred road. The state was lying prostrate in utter ruins orchestrated by long years of abject neglect and dehumanization. The result was that the pride of the Ebonyi man was bruised and battered and we simply faded to laughing stocks before our neighbours and contemporaries.

Though Ebonyians have tested power from the hands of successive governments since it was carved out to exist as a state in 1996, the people had received very little in the way of any positive lasting legacy.

Then came the Umahi magic 19 years down the line! Abakaliki, formerly a sprawling metropolis has floated to an architectural marvel. The state now qualifies for a spot in the list of Nigeria's finest state capitals. Within the last 2 years, Abakaliki town has been meticulously engineered to become one of the nation’s grandest metropolises , and the fastest growing city in the South east region.

The speed at which modern Abakaliki has sprung up is hard to conceptualize. Surely, Ebonyians who have not visited the state for so long should get ready to embrace a new reality upon their return. With a look at the road networks, street lighting intervention, water fountain concepts, the art works and other numerous infrastructures that adorn the state, it's clear that development in the state has entered an irreversible stage. The hallmark of the series of reforms that have swept through the state can simply be smelt in the state capital.

While the task of readying the state for investment inflow has been a massive undertaking for Governor Umahi, perhaps the greatest logistical feat was reconstruction of the Abakaliki Township stadium within the heart of the city. The ambitious undertaking has been accelerated by pressing infrastructure demands. Upon completion, it quickly became a defining image for the state. Just last week, a portrait showing the extent to which the skyline of Abakaliki has improved flooded the social media and instantly rewarded the governor with an enviable online fan base. The picture offered stunning view of Abakaliki from the sky.

It is always exciting to discover a city from above and Abakaliki made no exception with its famous monuments and landmarks put in place by the government of Engr David Umahi. The aerial view displaying the image of the newly reconstructed Abakaliki township stadium and the Udensi roundabout was another great example of government in action.

The vista was simply breathtaking and the response overwhelming. Many are still surprised that a Nigerian state thought of constructing such a wonderful stadium like ours in the face of biting recession. Today, the Abakaliki township stadium is something of a destination in it's own right. This stadium is majestic, amazing; it is a timeless and priceless piece of architecture. It is the first of its kind in the state. It is trendy and I think this should be the pride of not just South East, but the entire Nigeria.

Though the phraseology differed, for those who commented online, the general sentiment in the vast majority was the same: Two decades have brought such monumental change—what will the Salt of the Nation look like in two more years?

Abakaliki may be one of the smaller state capitals, but what Abakaliki lacks in size, it makes up for in style: staggering beauty and architecture which is even threatening to upstage some of country's finest.

As a part of Governor Umahi's contribution in making Abakaliki a mega City , the governor has gone a step further into the digital age with introduction of another modern technology. The city is now adorned with backlit 48 sheets , ultra display and LED screen billboard. This large screen LED billboards, are popping up in hot places like Udensi round about junction.

This has proved a major attraction for passersby. These brilliant digital displays offer effective, high impact , targeted , and flexible beautiful displays. In places like Lagos, these digital displays are widely accepted as the new advertising medium, because of their myriad advantages such as : dynamic creative elements and interactivity guaranteed delivery and scheduled display, multiple advertisers with no clutter , co- op revenue opportunities , instant digital changes for season , price , or promotion , rapid ability to update content , timely insertion of trailer loops with advertising content , instant digital programming with informative and entertaining content , and the ability to deliver specific messages to specific audiences in specific locations

Today, Abakaliki can confidently rank as one of the fastest growing state capitals in Nigeria. Successful milestones have been achieved in the beautification of the capital city, particularly in the night. A stroll down the streets of Abakaliki is an indulgent experience by any measure but when you add classic skyline view to the package, things enter a whole new level of luxury.

When in 2015, Engr David Umahi became the governor, many observers believed that a possible end to the dark days and the snail-pace development of the state may be in sight after all. This is because analysts shared the sentiment that the governor is a stickler for excellence.

I am one of those who believe strongly that the heart of Governor Umahi must have bleeded seeing the sorry state of the capital city then. So when he was sworn-in I knew that a major reform was not only necessary but imminent in the state capital.

Today, we are happy that there are such reforms at all levels and the results are there for anybody to see and verify. This is my joy as an Ebonyian. His government has taken visible steps in the restoration of the Abakaliki master plan. Umahi's pre-election years must have been spent preparing the ground for a major revolution such as identifying all decrepit structures qnd ailing sectors, with a specific mandate to clean up the city when fate eventually beckons.

And today it is on record that never in the 21years history of the state have such earth shaking socio-economic and political restructuring, and reforms been formulated and implemented like in the last two and half years. And today, Abakaliki is better for it while Ebonyians are happy for it.

Indeed, Governor David Nweze Umahi possesses the stuff of a legend. Thumbs up the People's governor!

By Philip Nweze