“Abia At 35: From Wilderness to Restoration” — Archbishop Ugorji Hails New Era of Governance

_“Good Governance is Like a Tree of Life” — Says 35 Years a Testimony of God’s Faithfulness_

UMUAHIA, Abia State – The Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, Most Rev. Dr. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, has described Abia State’s 35th anniversary as a “testimony of God’s faithfulness” and a divine shift from years of struggle into a season of restoration and purposeful leadership.

Archbishop Ugorji stated this on Sunday, August 23, 2026, during a sermon at the interdenominational thanksgiving service marking 35 years of Abia’s creation held at Okpara Square Event Centre, Umuahia.

Reflecting on the creation of the state on 27th August 1991 from the old Imo State, the Archbishop said Abia was more than an administrative exercise.

“Carving out a state from the old Imo state and naming it Abia — an acronym forged from the foundational pillars of Aba, Bende, Isuikwuato, Afikpo and later replaced by Arochukwu. It was more than an administrative exercise. It was the creation of an identity. It was the birth of Abia State,” he said.

Citing Psalm 107:1-9, he compared Abia’s journey to the children of Israel in the wilderness — “cycles of ups and downs, seasons of trial, empty promises, setbacks and administrative dry grounds.”

He noted that despite Abia’s reputation as the “Japan of Africa” for its shoemaking and garment industries, the state suffered infrastructural decay, abandoned roads, heaps of garbage and insecurity that drove away businesses. *Umuahia, he said, was once described as “a glorified village.”

“Yet, even in the dry places, God listened to the distressed outcries of his people. He did not abandon them. He preserved the resilient and indomitable spirit of the Abian,” he said.

Drawing from Ecclesiastes 3:1 and Joel 2:25, Archbishop Ugorji said the difficult years taught Abians the need for transparency, accountability and leadership that serves.

“The years of struggle were not wasted years. They taught Abians the need for transparency and accountability in leadership. They refined the appetite of Abians for a leadership that serves rather than exploits.

‘I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.’ Today we mark Abia at 35 under a visionary and purposeful leadership,” he stated.

The Archbishop lauded ongoing projects in health, education and infrastructure, saying the capital city was “shedding its old skin, rising from a glorified village of the past into a modern city.”

“When leadership aligns with the heartbeat of God, governance ceases to be a tool for self-enrichment and transforms into service for the common good,” he said, quoting 2 Samuel 23:3.

He urged citizens to match government efforts with personal responsibility: “We cannot demand transparency and accountability from our leaders while cutting corners in our daily private dealings. We have to pay our taxes… The schools rebuilt, the hospitals equipped, the roads suddenly paved are not government property, but the collective treasure of Abians.”

He also warned against division, clannishness and parochialism, stressing that “Abians must stand together in unity and work together in synergy.”

Looking ahead, Archbishop Ugorji said Abia must merge its traditional commercial strength with digital innovation. He commended the anniversary’s focus on youth innovation days, technology exhibitions and digital hackathons.

“Our youth are the seeds of our evening and the dawn of tomorrow. We must train them, not merely to seek jobs, but to build industry. Abia must evolve further into the undisputable technological and manufacturing capital of Africa,” he said.

Concluding, he called for a “renewed covenant with God” to defend peace, practice justice and pass down “a state far more glorious, prosperous, and stable than the one we inherited in 1991.”

“May the Lord bless Abia State. May His face shine upon Umuahia, Aba, and all the 17 local government areas in the state,” he prayed.

The thanksgiving was part of activities marking Abia’s 35th anniversary of creation.