25th December 2024, NewsOrient, Opinion, Column, News,
By Emeka Nwosu, PhD.

Abia State under the leadership of Governor Alex Chioma Otti has continued to make waves in the right direction.

In the last 18 months that he mounted the saddle of power, the fortunes of the State have changed for good. Within this short period, Abia has been featuring in the news for edifying reasons. Prior to this time, the State was the butt of all manner of dirty jokes, basically on account of its backwardness occasioned by bad governance and mediocre leadership.

On assumption of office, Otti faced squarely the development challenges of the State. His preparedness for the job was not in doubt as he hit the ground running. Guided by a vision to return Abia to the path of greatness, Otti has embarked on aggressive development drive aimed at the infrastructural transformation of the State.

The results of his efforts are evident in many spheres of life of the State, but particularly in Aba and Umuahia where so much has been done to rewrite the unpalatable stories of underdevelopment and decrepit infrastructure.

Beside what Otti has done in Aba and Umuahia, two of his ongoing projects, namely the Abia Industrial and Innovative Park (AIIP) and the recently flagged-off Abia Airport at Nsulu, stand out as landmark achievements of the administration. While pushing development on all fronts, Otti clearly appreciates the importance and centrality of security in protecting the infrastructure and preserving lives and property. And this is where the traditional rulers come into the mix.

Apart from serving as the custodians of our culture and traditions, the traditional rulers are designated as the chief security officers of their various autonomous communities. They are, thus, saddled with the responsibility of maintaining security and ensuring peace in their domains.

They also have the additional responsibility of protecting government projects located in their areas of jurisdiction.
The traditional rulers require good funding to carry out these responsibilities. Previous administrations in the State never gave the traditional rulers the requisite financial support to carry out these duties. Yet, when there were security breaches in the communities, the traditional rulers were singled out for vilification.

Otti, in his considered wisdom has decided to change the narrative. He believes that any assigned responsibility must go with a corresponding empowerment. It is against this background that Governor Otti announced an enhanced welfare package for the traditional rulers in the State. The new financial package would definitely serve as a morale booster and motivation to the traditional rulers who are expected to assist the government in ensuring security in their domains.

In what is widely seen as a commendable development, Governor Otti, last week, announced a monthly stipend of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N250,000} for each of the traditional rulers in the State. This is in addition to the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150,000) released to each of the traditional rulers as Christmas bonanza. The effective date for the commencement of the payment of the new welfare package is this December, 2024.

In his response to the government`s gesture, the Chairman of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM Eze Linus Nto Mba expressed appreciation to Governor Otti, noting that past administrations in the State never accorded them such respect.

“The Council expresses gratitude that the Governor would, from the month of December 2024, begin to pay N250,000 monthly stipend to every Eze in Abia State, except the traditional rulers in Aba South, who would receive an amount different from others”.

Mba promised that traditional rulers would continue to support the governor in fighting and eradicating crimes from various communities in the State. The governor`s gesture is highly commendable. It will definitely spur our royal fathers to be more dedicated and committed to their responsibilities as the custodians of our culture and chief security officers of their various communities.

To whom much is given, much is expected. The traditional rulers are expected to reciprocate government`s gesture by ensuring that peace and security are maintained in their domains. It is believed that the kind disposition of the governor to our royal fathers would help to promote a new rapprochement in the relationship between the government and the council of traditional rulers in the State.

We commend Dr. Otti and pray that Abia, under his dynamic leadership, will continue to win.

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

~ NewsOrient

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