365 days ago, on May 29th, 2023, the State of Abia was spun 180 degrees on its axis. It was the day Abia State rightfully claimed its motto, God’s Own State. On this day, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti was sworn in as the fourth Executive Governor of the State. The entire State was deluged with heavy non-stop rain turning the Umuahia Township Stadium field into a grassy waterlogged muddy field.
The rain, while inconveniencing, was nonetheless, a shower of blessings. It was Chukwu Abiama cleansing the State of the 24-year stain from the suffocating stranglehold on Abians from the hands of the kakistocratic and kleptocratic governments of the preceding administrations. The prayers and cries of Umu Abia were answered. And Dr Alex Otti was sent to the rescue.
Under the torrential downpour, Dr Alex Chioma Otti took the mantle of government. In his inaugural speech, he accepted the honour and enumerated what awaits Abians. He pledged to restore the State of Abia and her citizens to a place Abia had not known. The speech was a social contract between Dr Alex Otti and the citizens of Abia State. He promised to be a good steward of Abia’s resources while providing and protecting the Public Health, Safety, and General Welfare of the citizens.
True to his pledge, the Governor immediately tackled the removal of the ubiquitous garbage dumps that sculpturally dotted the Aba landscape. These garbage hills, cesspools to be exact, were not only unsightly but the unavoidable putrid smell was offensive and repulsive. Aba is now becoming a cleaner and healthier city. The once unsightly visual chaos of the refuse dumps is cleared, and the fetid stinking smell is refreshed with fresh air. A healthy environment is created. A Promise Made, A Promise Kept.
Abia State has been plagued with non-motorable roads since the end of the civil war. This worsened under the past three administrations which paid no attention to infrastructure. The Otti administration has embarked on immediate and massive road construction and reconstruction. The administration has been executing a spaghetti network of roads that are crisscrossing the state. This is a much-needed infrastructural development that has been neglected for the past decades. The revamped motorable roads, both the inter-state and intra-state, will play a dominant role in the economic rejuvenation of the state. The transportation cost of goods and services from the hinterlands would be less, the rural farming communities would have ease of transporting their goods and commodities to the urban markets. The perennial rural-urban migration would be lessened as commuting to work and business transactions would be less cumbersome. Further collateral benefits are less mechanical stress on vehicles, minimization of erosion, and denudation control. These roads now provide easy physical connectivity between all corners of the state. Also, good roads save lives. By the way, would any of the past governors ply these roads? A Promise Made, A Promise Kept.
Abia State came to be known by the unflattering name, Ojiugwo – a habitual debtor. That is because, under the three past scrofulous administrations, the State owed the civil servants and duped her pensioners. These people were 419ed. Of course, this callous policy had deleterious effects on these people, many died an untimely death, many were afflicted with catastrophic chronic illnesses, many went bankrupt, all went through excruciating hunger, their manhood and womanhood were emasculated, many slumped into decapitating mental and psychological depression. This unpopular act turned many parents into habitual “panhandlers”. Many of these affected people resorted to begging to eke out a living. The past three administrations failed to honour the age-old aphorism of “An honest Day’s Work for An Honest Day’s Pay”. While these faithful civil servants and retirees were denied their dues, the politicians were busy fattening themselves at the troughs of the state treasury.
In keeping with his promise in his inaugural speech, The Executive Governor promised to halt this agony. The State has resumed compensations owed to the civil servants and retirees. The payment of salaries and pensions will infuse cash into the state economy. Buoyed by this infusion of cash, these civil servants and pensioners are now armed with disposal income from which they would buy goods and services in the state. In turn, the money would circulate thereby boosting the economy of Abia State. There are now smiles on the faces of the civil servants and pensioners. Their faces once drenched with tears of sorrow are now wiped off and replaced with tears of joy. This will most likely improve their standard of living and the quality of life. While happiness is relative, it would not be a hyperbole to say that the Happiness Quotient in Abia State is on the rise. A Promise Made, A Promise Kept.
Let there be light, and there was light. The perennial epileptic power supply in Abia State is almost at sunset. On Saturday, February 24, 2024, The Governor assisted by the Vice President commissioned the long-awaited power supply by Geometric Power. Enyimba City and nine local government areas were to be the initial beneficiaries of the power supply. Some sections of Aba are now experiencing 24-hour uninterrupted power supply. Without sabotage, we pray that Geometric Power will not morph into NEPA (Never Expect Power Authority). The nuisance of the constant noise of the generators would be a thing of the past. Additionally, the production of carbon monoxide – the silent killer – into the atmosphere would be reduced, if not, eliminated. Aba would be returned to a thriving healthier and livable city. A clime for investors – both micro-businesses and macro-businesses. This is the enabling infrastructure needed to spur economic growth. More businesses would translate to more revenue for the State. Maybe more “Chicken Republic” restaurants will be built !!!!!. The assured steady supply of electricity will help return and restore the glory of “our beloved city Enyimba City”. A Promise Made, A Promise Kept.
Insecurity is the bane that has gnawed on the state’s (the country actually) economic growth, destroyed physical and human capital, discouraged local investments, dissuaded foreign investors, and of course, peace and tranquillity were non-existent. The Governor promised in his inaugural speech that restoring security to the State of Abia and Abians is assured. On taking office, The Executive Governor immediately established a multi-agency security apparatus codenamed “Operation Crush” to tackle this inconvenience. One of the results of this act was the flushing out of the criminal underworld quartered in Umunneochi. Though not yet totally in a state of normalcy, there is relative calm. Progress is being made. A Promise Made, A Promise Kept.
In just 12 months of his 48-month social contract with Abians (36 months left in his first term), the nascent administration has performed and achieved what the past three governors could only imagine. Dr. Alex C. Otti has revealed to Abians that the State of Abia was flushed with its allocated revenue from the Federal Government. Unfortunately, it was privately siphoned off into private accounts of kleptocrats, garbed as Governors, politicians, cabals, godfathers, non-patriotic citizens, and their proxies. Because fish rots from the head, this corrupt practice metastasized into the social fabrique of the society, from the public sector to the private sector. The Governor has unshackled the state from the stranglehold of these unpatriotic citizens who saw the state as their private piggy bank. Evidence abounds about what The Governor is doing with the State’s revenue. A Promise Made, A Promise Kept.
Even though governments should not be in the business of business – according to the Republican political ethos – governments, however, should be in the business of business. They do so by the conscious calculated tailored policies of creating an enabling environment conducive to existing businesses to bloom while luring prospective investors into the state. This is now happening in Abia State. The proof is apparent in the sudden surge of foreign investors visiting Abia to explore business opportunities. A Promise Made, A Promise Kept.
According to Igbo proverbial parlance, “anaghi ekpuchi avo ime aka (translated – Pregnancy is never concealed with your hands). This is true with the Otti administration. The gargantuan progress made in just 12 months is verifiable and tangible. It is for this evidence that dignitaries, both foreign nationals and Nigerians (including former President Olusegun Obasanjo) are trooping to visit, or should I say, pilgrimage to the Governor at his private office/residence at Isiala Ngwa – Camp Otti (a play on Camp David – the USA presidential retreat). It is this seductive lure of success that is attracting these folks to Camp Otti. This is putting Abia on the map. Abia State would no longer be the butt of jokes. Among the 36 states in Nigeria, Abia will almost be the one in the pole position.
The feat the Governor has displayed should not be a surprise to those who know him. He is best credentialed to tackle Abia State’s decades of economic rot. As a prolific Columnist with the ThisDay Newspaper, he contributed copious articles fortnightly under the heading “Outside The Box”. These articles expressed his professional opinion on critical issues such as economics, finance, leadership, public service, accountability, and elements of good governance. He was a successful banker and a consummate Economist who successfully rescued a drowning bank. His business acumen has been brought to bear by trimming the excess fat out of the blotted state government managed by his predecessors. He has been frugal with the state finance, and transparent with the citizens with his frequent press releases and interviews. He has also instituted prudential measures to manage the state revenue. Recently, he was accompanied by only three officials on his recent visit to the USA. A cost-saving measure. His predecessors have made similar trips with a retinue of staff and friends. A money-wasting venture. The number of ministries and Commissioners is reduced to the barest absolute minimum – from 27 ministries/commissioners to 19 ministries/commissioners – needed to run an efficient lean mean government. Ghost workers, about 2,300, have been exorcised from the government payroll. The accrued savings in the millions of naira are returned to the state coffers. Endowed with such pedigree the Governor is forged with the requisite skill set needed to wrestle the State of Abia away from the State of Doldrums. A Promise Made, A Promise Kept.
The positive trajectory of the State of Abia would not have been possible under Dr. A. C. Otti, without the divine intervention of Professor Nnennaya Nnannaya Oti, the INEC Returning Officer. But for her intervention, the trajectory into the abyss would have continued unabated. To her, we say thank you for her steadfast incorruptible stance during the election. Similarly, the Governor should be thanked for his dogged tenacity to contest the governorship three consecutive times. The third time happened to be the charm. Voting matters and all must vote because an election has consequences. In 2023 Abians got the government they deserved. Votes and voting are not for the present but lives for posterity. The visible manifestation of the infrastructural development is the attestation that election has consequences. Thanks to the good people of Abia for voting for change. For the glowing job by the Governor, the Abians should be magnanimous enough to permit the State Governor to be an Itinerant Governor, rented out or seconded to the other 35 states for a fee.
In honour and deference to the indefatigable, loquacious illustrious Igbo son, Mazi K. O. Mbadiwe, I quote, Dr Alex Chioma Otti by “Otti-fying” the State of Abia, deserves the attribute of “the man of timber and calibre”. He- Mazi Mbadiwe – later added “caterpillar.” Dr Alex Chioma Otti, you are a juggernaut.
On behalf of the good people of Abia, we wish His Excellency, Dr Otti, continued success as he restores and leads the State of Abia to a State of Prominence – “a shining city (state) on a hill” – quoting President Ronald Reagan. It is DAWN in the State of Abia again, where excellence is adored, and mediocrity is shunned. By the end of his first-year term, the suboptimal performances of the cumulative past administrations would be in the rearview mirror. Dr Otti’s success would have given an ode to Dr Michael Iheonukara Okpara, the former Premier of Eastern Nigeria, for the colossal developmental accomplishment of the region under his premiership through his “pragmatic socialism” policy before being halted by the 1966 military interregnum.
The “Otti-fication” of the State of Abia by Dr Alex Chioma Otti is CONSEQUENTIAL and TRANSFORMATIONAL.
LONG LIVE ABIANS
LONG LIVE ALEX OTTI.
Humbly submitted by Mazi Kanu “Kay” Nnanna Onwukwe
