Otti: Abia’s Future Will Be Driven by Creative Opportunity, Not Minerals  

* Governor promises regular gratuity payments

* Commends founding fathers

Boniface Okoro in Umuahia 

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has appealed to all Abians to commit to building and handing over a better Abia where value creation, rather than minerals buried in the bowels of the earth, will drive growth and development.

In a statewide broadcast on Thursday, August 27, 2026, to mark the 35th anniversary of the creation of Abia State, Governor Otti said the task before the present generation is to prepare the next generation to function and thrive in a new age where value creation will be the driving force. The broadcast was titled: ‘Abia and the Miracle of Resilience.’

Despite being confronted by challenges on every side, OttI said Abians have to resolve that they will not hand over “a broken society to our children”.

“As parents, we are duty-bound to prepare them to function and thrive in the new age where value creation, and not what is buried beneath the earth, is the ultimate ticket to sustained relevance,” he said.

In his bid to address injustices of the past, the governor painted a picture of an “El Dorado” for senior citizens with his promise that the era of unpaid gratuities is over. 

He announced the commencement of payment of accumulated gratuity arrears dating back to 2001, and directed that henceforth, any worker leaving service should be paid their gratuity immediately documentation is completed. 

“You can take it for granted that henceforth, no senior citizen shall be denied what is due them,” Otti assured, saying the administration shall continue to honour retirees for their roles in the evolution of the state since 1991.

The governor said the broadcast was a moment to celebrate the resilience that has carried Abia through 35 years, and to list milestones recorded in the last three years of his administration.

He noted that over 1,000 kilometres of roads have been fixed across urban and rural communities to open up the economy and attract investments. 

In education and health, he said thousands of teachers and health workers have been recruited and trained, with enhanced salary packages and capital projects including the building and equipping of smart schools and primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities.

Otti disclosed that the government has reinvigorated the health insurance programme and is developing primary healthcare facilities in all 184 wards to improve access and reduce out-of-pocket spending. 

He also reaffirmed the free and compulsory basic education programme as part of efforts to ensure no child is disadvantaged by background.

On the economy, the governor said investments are being ramped up in agriculture for food security, jobs and foreign capital, while the state is laying groundwork to accelerate housing development through technology and transparency in land administration. 

He added that thousands of youths have benefited from structured ICT training programmes, with investments in ICT infrastructure to expand access to rural dwellers.

Governor Otti commended the visionaries who led the agitation for the creation of Abia, naming Dr Michael Iheonukara Okpara, Chief Benjamin Nwachukwu, Dr Moses Agbara, Rufus Obi, and others who “offered their all that the state we know today as Abia may be actualised”. 

He also acknowledged the contributions of past leaders including Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, Chief Theodore Orji, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, and early military administrators for laying foundations.

“The whole credit for the achievements of the last 35 years belongs to all of us who refused to be held back by cynicism,” he said, urging citizens to pay taxes, support security agents, and refuse to be used by unscrupulous elements.

“Abia is ours to build and thankfully, we are on the right track. As we march into the future with a new sense of mission, let us take confidence in the knowledge that our destiny is written by the very hands that carved the marvel of the universe,” the governor concluded.