₦airaland Forum

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, says one side of the six-lane Ossa Road, Okpara Square to Tower, currently under construction will be ready for use by Christmas, AbnTV reports.

Governor Otti stated this on Thursday while inspecting the ongoing construction works on the 3.5km carriage, a major gateway into Umuahia, capital of Abia State.

"I have been assured that at least one side would be ready for commuters to use during this Christmas," the Governor was quoted in a statement by his chief press secretary, Kazie Uko as saying.

He assured that with the dry season setting in, work will progress steadily on daily basis to ensure that the work is delivered within the time frame.

Governor Otti explained that he was motivated to begin the expansion of the road to six lanes from the initial four lanes due to the congestions usually experienced on the road, especially during festive seasons.

"If you are familiar with this road, every festive season people get stuck. Expanding the road to six lanes would help traffic. We know what our people wanted. The essence of government is to deliver on what the people want and people are happy because we are actually speaking to their needs and that's what government is about.

"On a daily basis we have more and more people, who want to move out of Umuahia and Aba to bring their businesses back, so we are forward thinking and forward looking. We are already planning for them as they relocate," he said, adding that many good things and development plans are in the offing for Abians.

The Governor, despite all the democratic dividends he had delivered in a short space of six months, said it was still early days. According to him, government will be touching on different aspects of the people's needs.

"That's why we are here, to ensure that the welfare and security of our people are prioritised," he said.

Governor Otti sympathised with all those who have to suffer inconveniences, as a result of the ongoing construction, in the cause of using that road, saying, "To those who have been inconvenienced by the restrictions of traffic on this road, we want to apologise to them and assure them it wouldn't be too long before they begin to enjoy free flow of traffic."

On the issue of compensation, the Governor said a lot of people's houses were affected and that government had already paid compensations to them.

"I understand there are a few more houses that got enumerated after the first compensations have been paid, we are looking at that to ensure that we also pay compensations before we bring down those houses," promised.

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, inspected the ongoing reconstruction work on the Enugu-Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway, AbnTV reports.

Governor Otti, accompanied by some members of the Abia State Executive Council, including the commissioner for Works, Engr Otumchere Oti, started the tour from the border side at the Rivers State end, down to Alaoji, and entrance of Ariaria Market in Abia.

The entourage was led by a team of engineers from CCECC, one of the construction companies handling the road reconstruction, Kazie Uko chief press secretary to the Governor said in a statement.

The Governor, who was besieged by cheering crowds expressed satisfaction at the level and pace of work at the various sites of the road visited.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu for promptly approving the return to site by the contractors.

Three persons have been arrested by youths of Inyilla Ibere Community, Ikwuano Local Government Council of Abia state, AbnTV reports.

They were arrested in connection with alleged stealing of seven batteries from an Airtel communications mast located in the community.

A source who spoke with ABN TV on Sunday said they received information about the activities of the vandals in the location.

The youths were said to have mobilized along with the community vigilante and apprehended the hoodlums said to be a 5-man gang.

While the youths apprehended two persons in the forest, another was apprehended by a neighboring village, while one person escaped.

The fifth person is said to be a certain engineer who services the communication facility.

Their full identities could not be ascertained but a source said the name of the fleeing suspect is Emeka, sharing the same name with one of those in custody.

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has denied spending nearly one billion Naira on his feeding and personal welfare, saying such information is untrue, ABN TV reports.

The governor's chief press secretary, Kazie Uko, and his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma in a statement titled, "ABIA STATE Q3 BUDGET EXPENSES: UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES" said Abia State Government did not spend close to One Billion Naira on feeding and welfare for the Governor's Office, within the period of three months.


The statement said the total amount spent so far by the entire government of Abia State for Refreshments and Meals for the period is N223,389,889.84.

It says, "1. The total amount spent so far by the entire government of Abia State for Refreshments and Meals for the period is N223,389,889.84.

"2. The figure above is as captured in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government.

"3. Please, NOTE that this figure is for the entire state and not for the Office of the Governor, as being erroneously portrayed.

"4. The stated figure covers expenses for special events, such as retreats, conferences, and related events.

"5. For welfare, the Abia State Government has so far spent the sum of N397,520,734.84.

"6. The Welfare expenditure is in line with the State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme (SFTAS); an initiative of the Federal Government.

"7. Also NOTE that the Welfare Expenditure covers all the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and not just the Governor's Office, as wrongly alleged.

"8. Expenses under Welfare deal with issues of Health, Rehabilitation and Public Emergencies.

Workers in the judicial service of Abia State are currently in a jubilant mood as the Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, fulfills his promise of paying off their salary arrears said to be dating back to eight years, ABN TV reports.

The workers, who had been owed since January 2015, had embarked on an indefinite strike against the immediate past government in the state, to press home their demands, shortly before Governor Otti assumed office on May 29, 2023, chief press secretary to the Governor, Kazie Uko said in a statement.

They had demanded the confirmation of Justice Lilian Abai as the substantive Chief Judge of the state, after she had been on acting capacity for over six months. Also, they demanded the payment of the arrears of Consolidated Judiciary Staff Salary Structure, leave allowances, and judicial autonomy, the statement added.

However, out of the four demands, the previous administration was only able to grant one, the confirmation of the Chief Judge, and that was after the then Governor-elect, Dr. Otti, had declared that he would confirm Justice Abai, after being sworn-in as governor, the statement noted.

It continued, "The intervention of Governor Otti and promise to pay the outstanding salary arrears led to the calling off of the strike action by the workers, who associate under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Abia State Chapter, in June 2023.

"In fulfillment of that promise, therefore, the Abia State Government has begun payment of the consolidated salary arrears of the members of JUSUN, who have since confirmed that they have started receiving the arrears owed them.

"Consequently, the workers through their union leader and Chairman, Oracle Chinedu Eze, have expressed their gratitude to the Governor and government of Abia State for fulfilling the promise of salary payments."

"It is with a grateful heart full of joy and happiness that I, on behalf of the entire Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria members and executives, wish to inform and appreciate you for the first batch of the CONJUSS arrears paid yesterday (November 15, 2023).

The Abia State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned protest by members of Labour Party in Umuahia over the removal of Sen. Darlington Nwokocha of Labour Party by the court of Appeal.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvoyAAP-wcE

PDP described the protest led by the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Emmanuel Emeruwa as irresponsible

The Court of Appeal had in its ruling on Abia Central Senatorial election removed Darlington Nwokeocha of the Labour Party, declaring PDP’s Col. Austin Akobundu winner of the February 25 National Assembly election.

The PDP in a statement on Tuesday by Hon. Elder Abraham Amah, the party’s Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary in the state said the protest is misplaced and irresponsible.

The PDP says the protest is a demonstration that people who p populate the Labour Party are unintelligent, urging the security agencies to intervene to forestall the breakdown of law and order.

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has explained why he operates from home instead of the state government house, ABN TV reports.

According to him, he chose to work from home for the time being in order to manage the cost of governance.

Otti stated this during the weekend when he received the global leadership of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, led by Pastor Ted Wilson, who visited him in commemoration of the church’s centenary anniversary.

According to Otti: “Good governance starts with managing the cost of governance. If you’re not careful, the limited resources could be deployed to managing government rather than managing the governed.

“At the time we came in, in May, we found out that we were going to spend a whole lot of money fixing the Governor’s Office. Luckily, we have facilities here (at home) and are able to run from here.

“We will continue to do this until we have been able to deal with a lot of the hygiene problems, problems of health, problems of education and infrastructure, infrastructural decay, particularly in Aba, and a lot of the other hygiene problems we’re dealing with in the state.

“By the time we are finished with that and we have some elbow room, then we can now face the Governor’s Office. It’s not a priority.”

politicoNG:
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The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti of abandoning governance in a short while and engaging in what the party calls financial recklessness.

The party says this came after its review of the 3rd Quarter 2023 budget performance report provided by the state government.

"This publication is coming on the heels of the cash award to States by the World Bank under the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability, SFTAS, and after a very careful and professional review, the Abia PDP came to the inevitable conclusion that Alex Otti has displayed an unparalleled, unequalled and inhumane level of financial recklessness that speaks to the abandonment of good governance in such a short period in office and a flagrant disregard to his campaign promises", the party said in a statement on Thursday signed by Hon. Elder Abraham Amah, the PDP Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary.

The party while accusing Gov. Otti of not doing enough in delivering democratic dividends said his Ebonyi State counterpart, Gov. Nwifuru tangible dividends of democracy to his people, accusing Otti of running a government of propaganda in the media.

He said, "The financial recklessness captured in almost every sector of Abia life is made worse, especially when compared with the records of our sister state, Ebonyi whose governor was more miserly in his expenditure and has apparently done more in delivering tangible dividends of democracy to his people than the government of propaganda run on the media by Alex Otti. 

"Very few revelations in the expenditure records will startle even the most adept kleptocrat and make the innocent recoil in wonderment as to how such a barefaced financial wickedness can be meted against citizens in this very austere times. 

"According to the records, Alex Otti used the sum of N5.32 billion to run the governor’s office from his private residence in Isiala Ngwa in three months while his counterpart in Ebonyi State used the sum of N805 million to run the governor’s office during the period under review. 

"About a month ago, Alex Otti made a public display of self-indictment when he announced to a gathering of his ‘yes men’ that he has not and will not collect salary of about N1.6m a month as a governor and they gave him a thunderous applause even when they did not know that he collects an unaccounted amount of N933.3 million naira monthly as security vote, totalling N2.8 billion in the months of July-September while his Ebonyi counterpart collected N805 million naira for the same period. 

"In the period under review, Alex Otti spent a staggering sum of N542.8 million to oil his propaganda machinery, the Abia Ministry of Information and propaganda which is run from Lagos just to deceive and continue to confuse the unsuspecting Abia public who are mistaken of his sanctimonious posture. 

"In the expenditure record, the Abia deputy governor’s office spent the sum of N252 million while the Ebonyi State deputy governor spent the sum of N95m in the period under review even as he used the sum of N393m to clear refuse in only Aba and Umuahia under State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA. 

"In all of these recklessness, the smoking gun is the total recurrent expenditure of N10.8 billion out of a revenue of N25.21 billion even when about 10, 000 workers in the Abia State Civil Service have been unduly sacked by Alex Otti and he spent an unverifiable N5.02 billion on capital expenditure while Ebonyi received a revenue of N23b and spent N11.85 on capital expenditure. More startling is the fact that many Abia Civil Servants have either been paid half salaries or none at all and the big question is why such a huge cost on recurrent expenditures?

"The foregoing figures have put paid to the continuous insistence of the Abia PDP that Alex Otti was running an opaque system of government which does not help the growth and development of the State and the publication of this 3rd Quarter budget performance has vindicated the Abia PDP