The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti in Umuahia on Monday.
The commissioner said that the plans are in keeping with the broad economic development agenda of the Otti-led administration in the state.
According to Kanu, the state government would provide all necessary infrastructural facilities that would make it possible for investors to establish their presence in those industrial layouts.
He added that the provision of these facilities would make the conduct of business in those layouts hassle-free and without any impediments.
He said, “Most importantly, the state government wants to consolidate Aba as a business hub and Abia state generally as an investors’ haven.
“So, the road infrastructure being provided by the state government, the provision of security, provision of power, like we have in Geometrics, the ease of doing business improvements, all these factors add up into making Abia state an investors’ delight.”
He further said that, in the next few weeks and months, the government would pursue this idea with vigour to ensure that the layouts are put in place.
Kanu also announced that the Abia State government will officially roll out the operations of the Harmonised Task Force recently set up to deal permanently with touting, extortion, and harassment of citizens and residents in the state.
According to him, the event would take place on Tuesday simultaneously in Aba and Umuahia.
“The focus will be on Umuahia and Aba as all members of the Harmonized TaskForce the Magistrates, the Area and Zonal coordinators and all the operatives involved are expected to participate fully in the exercise tomorrow Tuesday, April 9,” he said.
The information boss disclosed the plans of the Abia State government to make Umuahia a smart city. He said the government would soon activate its plans to redesign and beautify the Isigate area of the state capital and make it fit for a smart city.
“This plan has been on the drawing board for quite a while, but in the coming months, the government will take its plans off the drawing board. A committee has all the while been working towards providing solutions that would make that part of the state capital look better than it actually does now,” he said.
The commissioner was flanked by the Commissioner for Land and Housing, Mr Chaka Chukwumerije, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, during the press conference.
