Don’t Be Remembered for Destroying Abia Institutions, Otti Tells Ikpeazu

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Renowned economist and politician, Mr. Alex Otti, has voiced out his feelings about the state of affairs in Abia State, and made a passionate appeal to the state Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, to act now to save the situation.

Otti, in the passionate appeal contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (media and publicity), Ferdinand Ekeoa, said he was particularly worried about “the frightening dimension at which key institutions in the state are getting grounded,” and workers starving to death due to nonpayment of their salaries.

He said as an Abian and a key stakeholder in the state, he felt compelled to speak out any time he saw things going wrong even at the risk of being “attacked and insulted by Abia State Government errand boys, most of the time when I offer my advice or opinion on matters that affect our state.”

According to him, for the governor to have allowed these problems to linger over time demonstrates his “obvious lack of concern and willingness to take decisive measures to (save) the situation.

“I am also deeply worried about the state of Abia workers and pensioners who you are owing several years of salaries and pension arrears,” he said, adding that he had in the past drew the attention of Ikpeazu to the plight of workers in the state-owned tertiary institutions.

Otti was particular about the situation of things at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) Aba, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, and the unending woes of Abia pensioners respectively,

The former banker lamented that ABSUTH has eventually shut down under the weight of 22 months’ salary arrears while the staff of Abia poly “have also abandoned academic activities, and students left stranded over nonpayment of their 31 months’ salary arrears.”

He expressed surprise that Ikpeazu was “not moved to act on the threat by the leadership of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) which was widely publicised a few months ago to shut down ABSUTH on the grounds that the lecturers were always on strike due to nonpayment of salaries.”

Otti noted that the NARD warning would have “compelled a sensitive and responsive government to initiate a process of sanitisation and restoration of the dignity of ABSUTH. But unfortunately, the institution appeared in the news once again that all staff members of the institution have embarked on an indefinite strike over the nonpayment of their 22 months’ salary arrears.

“Mr. Governor, ABSUTH and Abia Polytechnic are Abia State Government institutions set up by administrations before yours to attend to the health and educational needs of our people.

“Sadly, they presently look like painted sepulchers because your government does not consider them priorities. In fact, ABSUTH is the only state government teaching hospital which should not only be producing doctors of the future, but also be attending to serious healthcare needs of the populace.”

Otti reminded the governor that at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, many Abians, including senior citizens and members of the People Democratic Party (PDP) died because the lockdown prevented them from traveling abroad for medical care, and ABSUTH, which could have saved some lives, was in bad shape.

He argued that the Ikpeazu administration could not possibly blame paucity of funds for the situation, as “Abia State receives several billions of naira in statutory monthly allocations from the federal government for the state and local governments, and also generates internal revenues, just like other states.

“It, therefore, beats the imagination of any sane mind why your government cannot pay ordinary salaries and pensions, not to talk of carrying out serious developmental projects.”

The former bank boss also drew Ikpeazu’s attention to the lack of development in Umuahia, the capital city, which “has literally remained a glorified village” while “Aba, the former heartbeat of Igbo land, is now wearing a more notorious look as the headquarters of refuse dump.”

He, therefore, urged the governor to be conscious of the kind of legacy he would leave behind at the end of his tenure in less than 19 months.