Dr Alex Otti Brings New Vision To Abia State

By Ben Nwokocha

At the inauguration of his transition committee a few weeks ago, the Abia Governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti, got the counsel from one who should know: two-time Minister of Finance and the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. For a woman renowned for her high achievement and derring-do, nothing less was expected when she said the incoming government should focus on “disruptive strategies rather than traditional operational systems”.

According to her: “I told the governor-elect that everything we will do would depend on this governance. Nigerians, especially from that side of the South-East, have lost faith in governance. They no longer believe the government can provide anything for them. They provide for themselves boreholes, electricity and every other thing for themselves. Although that is entrepreneurial, on the other hand, that is not how to run the place.”

Otti’s mission was clear from his 100-member 2023 Abia Transition Council, which had persons from all walks of life. Perhaps, to make the point about his mission to build Abia into a self-sustaining economic hub, Otti, a former bank CEO and now a bank owner, held the inauguration of his transition team in Aba, Abia’s economic hub, rather than the state capital, Umuahia. Otti said as much when he mentioned that the choice of Aba, the commercial hub of the state, for the inauguration of the council was strategic as well as significant with the Enyimba City being the centrepiece of the incoming administration’s economic and infrastructural development plan.

Giving an inkling of what his administration will bring to governance in Abia State, the new governor said: “We intend to run a slim government in terms of political appointments, but then it is our intention to create enough opportunity for businesses to thrive and succeed in the state.

“We have chosen Aba for this inauguration today because Aba is the heartbeat of Abia economy despite the fact that it has been abandoned for many years by successive administrations.

“We want to build an industrial hub with steady power supply, renewable energy and other solid infrastructure for the economy of the state to grow”.

His statements echoed his campaign messages and his acceptance speech when he was declared as the Governor-elect of Abia State. Otti, who won the election with 175,467 votes to defeat his closest rival, Okey Ahiwe of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 88,529 votes, understood the weight of the expectations of the people, promising not to let them down. He is even more challenged being the only Labour Party elected governor in an election where the party led by its presidential candidate Peter Obi shook the political establishment. It was his third try to be Governor. He promised the millions of Abia citizens who he said, “have been the unfortunate victims of bad governance these past decades”, a progressive administration.

“As I acknowledge this victory, I am fully conscious of the huge expectations of millions of the good people of Abia, who have been denied the dividends of democracy and good governance for such a long time.

“Indeed, I see this victory as a call to service. Even as I come out of a bruising and long drawn out campaign, I know that this is just the beginning of the journey. There is a lot of work to be done and we must get all hands on deck to ensure that we take back our state and bring the much sought-after dividends of democracy.

“You voted us to serve you and not to be served. You voted us to alleviate your sufferings and not to compound and multiply them.

“This is a service that comes with an unusually high sense of devotion and commitment given our checkered history as a people. During my electioneering campaign, I traversed all nooks and crannies of Abia, and that enabled me to have first-hand assessment of the needs and expectations of Abians.

“These are the basic things expected by the people for a responsible government to provide in order to unleash the potential inherent in the typically hardworking Abians. Based on my findings and those of my team members, it dawned on us that an immediate hands-on approach is required to hit the ground running and to ensure that we alleviate the sufferings of all Abians, I promised you that I will serve you as the governor of all Abians and all citizens living in Abia, irrespective of clan, religious persuasion or political leaning.

“I see my mandate as cutting across all strata of our people and I once more promise to use the resources accruing to all Abians for the benefit of all Abians and the residents. I would like to assure us that we hold no bitterness against anyone and will not go on any revenge mission against anyone.

“If in the process of getting here, we have wronged anyone, kindly find a space in your heart to forgive. We have equally forgiven anyone that wronged us. This will be a government that would unite everyone in this state as we are all brothers and sisters.

“I want to salute the industry and resourcefulness of all Abians, the religious and traditional institutions, the civil servants, working class, the pensioners, the Business community, the physically challenged members of our society and indeed everyone that wishes Abia well.

“There shall be no discrimination whatsoever in the amenities that each person is able to access in our government. I made a firm promise to all civil servants and pensioners owed salaries, pensions and emoluments that an immediate payment plan would be put in place to ensure that this gets the priority it deserves.

“I am very much aware and prepared to deal with the issues of infrastructural decay which have continued to militate against our growth and development as a state. This will be tackled head-on.

“There is no doubt that given the deplorable state of our infrastructure, roads, schools and health systems, Abians are deservedly impatient to have these issues addressed as quickly as possible. I assure you that these areas will receive the priority attention of our government.

“Nevertheless, I caution that we all will need to put in our best and row together in one direction. There is no magic wand that can fix all the rot and decay noticed in virtually all segments of the system since the past years.

“For us to have sustainable development, it would require a very painstaking and elaborate layout of master plans to enable us tackle the menace of flooding and re-engineer our cities especially Aba, Umuahia and other cities that would be developed in order to support our urban renewal projects.

“We therefore plead for patience and understanding as we first tackle the immediate challenges and work on the major ones. The approach of our government will revolve around crafting policies that will enable our government to tap the creative energies of every Abian. We remain resolute in our drive to eliminate poverty and create sustainable wealth for our people.

“Once again, thank you for electing me and my deputy to serve you for the next four years. We trust God for His enablement to offer our services to Abians in such a way that we would not disappoint you.

“We shall implement our manifesto which is a revered pact between our administration and the good people of Abia state.I want to reassure you that we are going to run an open, transparent and accountable government devoid of waste and profligacy.

“We deeply cherish you all and will do our best to ensure that the trust reposed in us is not in vain.”

Okonjo-Iweala says the starting point is for Otti to run a “better and cleaner governance” and expressed the hope that through Otti, “there is a unique chance to set Abia on the right side of development and modernisation through disruptive digital technology”.

Abians are hoping for no less, that a wealth creator should be able to convert their industry to wealth and a good life.