5th September 2024, NewsOrient, Opinion, Column, News, Governance And Development, By Emeka Nwosu, PhD.

It is no longer news that Abia State, since the emergence of Dr. Alex Otti as the Governor, has been undergoing unprecedented transformation in every facet of life.

Within the last 15 months of his administration, so much progress has been made in several areas, including education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, industry, pension administration and human capital development.

One major field where the government has made a profound impact is in road constructions and reconstructions. The State, presently, is like a huge workshop where various development projects are going on simultaneously across the three senatorial zones of the State.

The people of Abia are so excited by what they see as Otti magic that has delivered so much within a short period.

The outstanding performance of Dr. Otti has brought forcefully to the fore the gross misrule experienced by the State under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last 24 years. The argument is that if Otti could achieve this much within a year, what did successive PDP-controlled administrations do with the resources of the State in the 24 years that they called the shots in Abia?

It is now glaringly obvious that they left the State to lie prostrate and stripped while criminally diverting the commonwealth into their private pockets and those of their cronies. This is why Umuahia, the State capital, for the 24 years they were in power remained largely a glorified village. This is also the reason why Aba, the commercial hub of the State was left in total ruins with dilapidated roads and broken infrastructure.

The incompetence of the PDP and the gross misrule that characterized the better-forgotten era were responsible for the collapse of the civil service and the subsequent non-payment of senior citizens of their pensions and gratuities. Workers were owed several months` arrears of their salaries and wages. Their morale was at the lowest ebb when Otti came on the scene.

Generally, good governance was on retreat. What was on display was political prebendalism at the highest level. There was no recourse to due process in the way and manner government business was being conducted. That was why contracts were awarded without any documentation and public facilities were converted into private property. It was also because of lack of good governance that funds provided for the establishment of an airport were criminally diverted and shared amongst government officials and their acolytes.

Funds that were made for road projects were similarly diverted into private pockets. These facts have been established by the forensic audit conducted by the Otti administration.

The hallmarks of good governance which centre on transparency, due process and rule of law were completely absent during these years of the locust. To the glory of God, a Daniel came to judgment on May 29, 2023. Since then, the story has not been the same. Abia, today, is a reference point for good governance and development.

Otti came with a blueprint to rework Abia and make it one of the best in the country. And he has proven that with what he has done specifically in Aba, Umuahia and other parts of the State. Apart from the rebuilding of all the major roads in Aba, he set up the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) to see to the holistic development of infrastructure in Aba. He rejuvenated the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA) to do a similar thing for Umuahia. And only recently, Governor Otti has proposed the Greater Ohafia Development Authority (GODA) to take development to Ohafia and environs, including Arochukwu.

Otti has the missionary zeal and commitment to ensure that Abia is completely repositioned for greatness. Indeed, his commitment to good governance is absolute. He restated this point recently when he received a delegation of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) led by the Executive Secretary, Bishop (Prof.) Stephen Tunde Victor Adegbite, in his office.

He stated as follows:
“I want to reassure you that this government will continue to do the right thing.”

“We believe that leadership is about service. We also believe that as a leader, if you are not interested in the welfare of the people, you have already failed.” The Governor could not have said it better. The whole truth is that Otti is running a government that accords primary attention to the critical needs of the people. He is prudently managing the resources of the State to achieve maximum results for the people.

He did not mince words in telling his visitors that he was methodical in the way he manages the finances of the State, to the extent that majority of Abia people are even wondering how he has been doing so much without resorting to borrowings. The Governor disclosed that there are a lot of programmes in his election manifesto, saying that he was following them one after the other and noting that so far, his administration had done well. This cannot be disputed, even by diehard critics!

The NCPC delegation which was impressed by the profile of development in Abia since the assumption of office by Otti, appreciated the laudable achievements of the government and described the Governor as “the expectation of the Abia people”. Adegbite enthused: “Your Excellency, you are the great expectation of the people of Abia State. God has graciously enthroned you in such a time like this”.

With Otti, Abia State, indeed, is a study in good governance and accountable leadership. A new Abia is possible!

Dr. Nwosu, a Public Policy Analyst, writes from Umuahia.
Email: cdnwosu2@gmail.com

~ NewsOrient

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