REVEALED: Why Abia state needs “Mr Fix It”Greg Ibe (conclusion)
Aside from the unprecedented exploits of Professor Gregory Ikechukwu Ibe, OFR succinctly adumbrated in the first part of this serial, do not tell us that you are not aware that he also pledged $1 million to COVID-19 research.
What about his company called Skill ‘G’ Ltd.that produces education solutions and also built laboratories in universities across Nigeria?
Certainly, a man who works with 73 federal and state universities, 62 polytechnics and monotonic schools and whose equipment and science laboratories 104 unity colleges are adoring, and whose mathematics kits developed with his Israeli partners are in use across Nigeria must be self-sufficient.
So, why does he want to be the Abia State governor? Some cynics — who care little about the impact his emergence will have on Abia — may want to ask that question. Well, the Deputy Registrar (Media) of Gregory University Uturu, Sleek Ogwo, provided the answer thus:
“It is not Prof Ibe that needs the governorship of Abia state today. It is the state that actually needs Prof Ibe. It is the backlog of the things he has done in his personal life, his track record, that made people call him to come and replicate the same positive development in the larger society.”
He explained that Prof. Ibe’s astuteness and the successes he achieved in less than 10 years of establishing Gregory University Uturu are products of age-long preparation.
“What you see in Gregory University Uturu today is a later development. Prof Ibe’s achievements started when he was working with other people. He worked for companies where he was marketing manager.
“He was the marketing manager of the first company that sold air conditioners in Nigeria. He was the one that innovated how they could make ACs work with the kind of low power that we had in the country at the time.
“That was the first major thing he did after leaving the construction company where he worked. He has been a success story in so many areas. Then, he came to replicate that success story with Gregory University Uturu”.
Ogwo said people see these scores of successes and tell him to use the same experience and passion to develop Abia State.
“They believe he will do a great job. I think Prof Ibe is suitable for the job of governance,” he said.
He also added, “Abia state is in crying need to match and possibly surpass her neighbours in the area of development.
So, here we have someone with experience, passion and connection to meet that need. There is no doubt that the complaint about paucity of funds in the quest to develop Abia state will be a thing of the past under his watch as governor, since he will attract foreign collaborations and partnerships that will stimulate development.”
Speaking further, on the impacts and benefits Abia state would enjoy under his watch when elected governor, Prof. Ibe challenged those in doubt of his capacity to come and see the pictures of how he transformed (and is still transforming) Uturu with personal money.
“I take challenges and I succeed with them. At the time I served the Nigerian Army during the toughest period, trying to secure certain things for Nigeria which I succeeded in doing. What I have accomplished in education, business, administration and even the development of my community are attestations that with centralised government in Abia state, every community will be proud to say I’m from this local government area,” Prof. Ibe concluded.
