26th July 2026, NewsOrient, Opinion, Column, Governance And Development, News
By Engr. Nwabueze Onwuneme

— The Case Of Governor Alex Otti’s University Of Northampton’s Lecture In The United Kingdom

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, is one state governor that is wholeheartedly celebrated in his State.

From what I observed here in the United Kingdom when the governor came here to deliver a public lecture at the University of Northampton, during the University’s Annual Conference on Racial Justice, I can say, without any doubt in my mind, that this unique Nigerian political leader is actually being celebrated today, not only within God’s Own State, where he has reportedly offered good governance, but also beyond his direct area of relevance as a state governor.

The theme of his lecture is “Of Walls And Bridges: Finding Common Ground, Rising Above’ Divisions. As usual, the erudite Governor of Abia State delivered his message with so much mastery and understanding that his guests could not hide their awe.

Considering the responses of his audience, I observed that beyond the critical issues Dr Otti raised in his address, it has become obvious that as at today, other Africans and even Europeans, who have monitored him closely, have come to acknowledge the good things Dr. Otti has done in Abia State as the governor.

The public lecture at the University of Northampton, turned out to be, not only a beautiful avenue to display the innovative ideas that are behind the immediate past and envisaged future governance experience in Abia State from the governor, but also an opportunity to openly celebrate a political leader in Nigeria with innovative ideas and bold approaches.

It was amazing to watch people, who are not direct beneficiaries of the governance in Abia State proudly joining millions of beneficiaries in the state to openly acknowledge the leadership milestones so graciously delivered by Otti.

On that fateful day, I woke up earlier than the normal time I usually wake up. Perhaps, the recollection that Governor Otti was billed to deliver a public lecture at the University of Northampton that day may have been the reason.

Without any hesitation, my wife and I agreed to cancel all our other engagements that day in order to attend the lecture.
Considering what happened at the lecture, I am glad today that we did.

To start with, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that attended the lecture, their incredible mix and their passion.

Ordinarily, one would have expected the audience to be made up of mainly Abia State indigenes in the United Kingdom. That was not the case.
Instead of that, I noticed that people from different parts of Nigeria, West Africa, other Africans and non Africans in the United Kingdom filled the venue of the lecture.

Considering the attitude of average residents of the UK, who do not joke with their time, the large turn out was the first eye opener to me that Abia State Governor Otti is currently appreciated by people from beyond Abia State and Nigeria.

For example, there was one group of attendees I interacted with inside the lecture hall. They are Zimbabweans resident in the United Kingdom.

I was surprised to find out that they know so much about Governor Alex Chioma Otti. They know about the challenges he inherited when he emerged as Abia State Governor and what he has been able to achieve in just over three years as governor.

They discussed so freely and so knowledgeably with so much admiration, repeatedly harping on what they described as “Otti’s courageous deliverance of good governance in spite of all odds.”

Besides knowing and listing out for me some of Otti’s legacy projects, they also enthusiastically alluded to what they described as “his intellectual depth.”

I was specially thrilled as they try to expand and explain what they identified as the future benefits of Otti’s current economic policies and development direction, especially “his drive to fully develop three metropolitan cities of Aba, Umuahia and Ohafia in Abia State.”

I could not believe my ears, knowing that these are not Nigerians and because they are not even in Nigeria, it would be odd to suspect they were bought over to praise the government and economic policies of Governor Alex Otti.

Aside the Zimbabweans, who I honestly consider as Otti’s huge fans, I also noted some white guests whose level of interest and appreciation of the governor only left me quite proud as a son of Abia State.

As they listened to his presentations and the testimonies of some participants, they intermittently exploded with wild mixture of excitement, exhibiting total agreement.

Beyond these humbling acknowledgement and open demonstration of approval of a Nigerian leader, our dear Governor of Abia State, one other thing that really moved me at the lecture was the way the powerful guests, including the university’s Vice Chancellor and the ordinary attendees warmly welcomed and openly appreciated the governor.

They talked of the way Otti has redefined political leadership in Abia State, thereby raising the stakes for the rest of Nigeria and Africa, etc.

This open approval aptly defined the passionate contributions that specially marked out the question and answer session. It was simply overwhelming.

For me, I was specially humbled by the contribution of a Nigerian who said he hails from Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

In a voice laden with deep emotions, the contributor, whose name I failed to get, said simply that he cancelled other engagements he had during the period so as to attend the seminar because he cannot afford to miss the opportunity of personally thanking Governor Alex Chioma Otti of Abia State for making it possible for his rural community in the neighboring Rivers State to get electricity.

As he explained, his rural community in the oil-rich Rivers State has remained for centuries without electricity until the neighbouring Abia State was blessed with Dr Alex Otti as it’s Governor. According to him, Abia State Governor Otti, through an innovative collaboration with his Local Government Chairman and other officials and stakeholders, provided electricity to his rural community in Rivers State.

His testimony was understandably followed by unique silence, as guests individually assimilated the import of the testimony in sobered and enlightened mood.

For me, this confirms, amongst others, that what Governor Alex Otti has done and is still doing in Abia State, have made meaningful impact in the lives of many Nigerians, not only in Abia State but beyond the areas he currently serve as governor.

This is why I wholeheartedly agree with analysts who contend that
Governor Otti’s Public Lecture at the University of Northampton “left some vital lessons in leadership and credibility.”

First, he resonated well with the multi-racial audience he held spell bound with his “engaging insights and thoughts on building a more-balanced human society – a world where individuals are recognised as God’s special creatures, worthy of dignity, respect and the opportunity to live out the fullest expressions of their dreams.”

I also agree with those who contend that Otti, chosing not to be bias, “spoke as a citizen of the world – one who understands the importance of accommodating everyone, engaging the power players and seeking equal opportunity for everyone, whatever their skin colour.”

As an analyst puts it, “he looked beyond the regular stereotype that only seeks to cast aspersions on politicians but made demands of pastors, journalists and activists who appear to have made an enterprise of race conflicts.”

After listening to Otti’s lecture firsthand and following the robust conversations, including the emotion packed question and answer session, I totally agree with analysts that parts of the takeaways any informed observer must get from this international outing by Governor Otti include:

The ennobling message that today, “the world sees a sincere leader in Governor Otti.”

I posit that many, including some of his political rivals, have come to acknowledge that “Dr Alex Otti is not your regular political leader; that he belongs to a different order, the order of philosopher-kings.”

Directly following this lesson is the fact that he again demonstrated convincingly that he understood his subject and is therefore not one of the so-called political leaders who do not even know what their handlers push them to project as the intellectual anchor of their public policy direction. Otti knows what he intends to do in Abia State and in Nigeria and he has the courage to do them.

Also, the testimonies and the interests of participants show that “Nigerians, wherever they live, still have this country at heart; that they are praying that one day, things would get better so that they may either come home to continue with their lives, or at least earn the respect they deserve amongst their peers from other parts of the world.”

More importantly, Governor Otti used the opportunity offered by the public lecture to invite his compatriots and all other Nigerians to, as an analyst puts it, “look past the tragedy of the hour and recommit themselves to working for a better, prosperous future,” whether they currently live in Nigeria or abroad.

By so doing, I am of the view that Governor Alex Chioma Otti has prudently used the simple opportunity of delivering a public lecture at the University of Northampton to demonstrate to the world and to share the encouraging message that a better Nigeria is achievable with good governance.

-Engr. Nwabueze Onwuneme, a youth activist, wrote in from the United Kingdom