Gov. Ikpeazu signs Abia Diaspora Bill into law, and a new appointment made

The Abia Diaspora Commission (ADCOM) Bill, which was recently passed by the state’s House of Assembly, has been signed into law by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.

While giving his approval to the bill, the Governor urged Abians in exile to continue to support the state’s overall development.

Ikpeazu signed the Bill into Law at the Exco Chambers, Government House, Umuahia, as presented by the Clerk and Permanent Secretary of the Abia State House of Assembly, Sir John-Pedro Irokansi.

With its assent, Abia becomes the first of the Federation’s 36 states to pass the Diaspora Law.

The Governor stated that Abians in Diaspora are in charge of the Abia State Geriatric Outreach and the Tele-Health Initiative, among other things, and that Abia will be the first state to implement digital learning in primary and secondary schools by October of this year.

He also stated that the Diasporan-led Pediatric Hospital will soon be operational, as the state government has received two of the four containers of medical equipment shipped in by Abians in the Diaspora.

Read also: The diaspora quagmire for Nigeria

Governor Ikpeazu stated that the development is in line with his 2015 commitment to create a platform for all Abians, regardless of their location, to participate in the state’s developmental narratives.

He took advantage of the opportunity to thank members of the Abia State House of Assembly for responding to the aspirations of the Abia community in the Diaspora by passing the Law, which provides the Diasporans with a much-needed legal platform to participate in the state’s development.

In other news, the Governor named Dr Mrs Ngozi Ogbonna-Erondu, the Special Adviser on Diaspora and Special Duties, as the Acting Executive Secretary of the Abia Diaspora Commission.

“For us in Abia, if you had followed my comments from 2015, you would know that I promised to create a platform that will enable every Abian, regardless of their political or religious persuasion or location across the globe, to participate in the government and governance of the State because I am convinced that the greatest asset God has blessed us with in Abia is the people. “We are a people with enormous potential in all fields of endeavor,” he stated.