Abia State Governor Alex Otti of the Labour Party has stated that his administration's most significant impacts over nearly three years in office are in human capital development, infrastructure renewal, fiscal responsibility, and social justice, all aimed at restoring the dignity of Abians.
Infrastructure and Debt Reduction
Governor Otti reported that 414 roads totaling approximately 864.12 kilometers have been constructed, and the state's debt profile has been reduced by about 60%. He made these remarks on Friday night during his monthly interactive chat with media practitioners, tagged "Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians," held for the first time at the Michael Okpara Auditorium in Umuahia.
He said, "In the last three years, we have constructed 414 roads with street lights and drainage systems consistently. Many of them will be formally commissioned starting next week. Another 82 roads measuring about 212 kilometers are at different construction stages."
He added, "We have reduced our debt profile significantly by about 60%, from about 191 billion Naira in 2023 to less than 50 billion Naira at the end of 2025. Our administration has also focused on fiscal sustainability, transparency, and accountability."
BudgIT Ranking and Asset Recovery
The governor, who will mark three years in office next week with commemoration activities starting Sunday, May 24, noted that the BudgIT State of the States report moved Abia from No. 17 in 2023 to No. 4 in 2025. He described these as independent rankings that reflect how the government is being run and expressed optimism that Abia will continue to perform well under his leadership.
On recovery of illegally acquired government assets, he said some have been identified during ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening accountability and transparency in governance.
Land and Environmental Achievements
Governor Otti reported milestones in lands and public buildings, stating that as of that Friday, 4,707 land Certificates of Occupancy had been signed. "Information available to me indicates that this number is more than the total number of Certificates of Occupancy signed between 1999 and 2023," he said.
He added that working with UN-Habitat, his administration completed the new Abia Master Plan, which will be launched soon. Land records have been digitized, with 4 million documents scanned into the system.
In environmental sanitation, the state now evacuates about 13 tonnes of refuse weekly, and over 2,000 jobs have been created through the Abia State Environmental Agency.
Transportation and Electric Buses
In the transportation sector, Governor Otti introduced electric buses and announced that another set of electric buses would arrive in the state by July. The new Bus Terminal in Umuahia will be commissioned on May 27. Charging stations are being installed in Umuahia and Aba to power the electric bus initiative.
Education and Health Progress
In education and health, the governor reported progress including the building of smart schools at Ubakala in Umuahia South and Umuomaiukwu in Isialangwa North, recruitment of teachers, and transformations at Abia State University Uturu, Abia State College of Education (Technical) Arochukwu, and Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic Aba, among others.
He recalled that 821 healthcare professionals were recruited, with 771 resuming duties across hospitals and primary healthcare centers. Over 93,000 residents have enrolled in the state health insurance scheme, and 277 primary healthcare centers have been retrofitted across the state.
"Out of the 277 healthcare centers retrofitted, 200 were handled by the state government while 77 were supported by the World Bank, with 121 fully functionalized," he said.
In tertiary health, reconstruction works are ongoing at Ikwuano, Arochukwu, Okeikpe, and Ohafia General Hospitals, while Amachara and Umunneato General Hospitals and Abia State University Teaching Hospital Aba are undergoing remodeling and major upgrades. He pledged to continue working for the restoration of the dignity of Abians.
