“There is no better way to reinforce the kind of economic and social development the Abia state government has recorded under the administration of Governor Otti other than grooming young men and women who will rise to take up and wear the big shoes”
By Njoku SaintJerry A.
The Old Abia is gone, dead and buried and a new Abia State, South east center of commerce and industry emerges under the astute leadership of Governor Alex Otti.
The new Abia is not a work of political rhetoric or social media propaganda designed to attract cheap billboard validation, far from that; rather it is a work of conscientious efforts to rebuild a region once run down by rascals and semi-illiterates ‘dundees’ parading as political state actors while they ruin, steal and destroy whatsoever legacy that was left of the state when it was carved out from the old Imo State under one of South East greatest leader, the late Dr. Sam Mbakwe.
For 24 years of its democratic dispensation, it may suffice to state that Abia as a region was in the grip of a reckless circle of fair weather friends who in turns served their cycle until the ship of state was roundly positioned on a roller coaster to doom and infamy.
The future was certainly bleak and most disappointingly unacceptable was the transfer of such reckless behaviors and lawlessness to a younger generation whom looked up to these elderly characters in the positions of leadership.
Abia was almost lost in a 24 years of a culture of political deceit, negligence and laziness so much that young people in the state had began to embrace the lifestyle of their political leaders as a way of life.
Sycophancy and disillusionment guided the paths of these young people, the future generation of Abia leaders until the citizenry revolted in anger and chased away all those criminal elements parading as political leaders.
Chasing away those awful political characters now disguised as ‘opposition elements’ was no mean feat, it was a collective will of the people.
Uprooting the administrative and political mess they have established over two decades required a meticulous thought-out strategy that includes grooming a younger generation of Abians, most importantly the age brackets that were born and exposed into those shameful years of the locust.
It requires genuine leadership and sincerity of a man committed to rebuild a homeland whose present and future were destroyed by hawks and vultures adorned in Aba tailored suits and gowns.
This perhaps has necessitated the careful selection of young people aged between 16 to 22 to attend a holiday boot camp, under the canopy of Abia Leadership Academy, a program designed to groom future Abia political leaders, businessmen and technocrats to follow the footsteps of the man Abians and Nigerians at large has celebrated as the kind of leader Nigeria and the South East desired so much., the man, Gov. Alex Otti, the leader who laid the foundation of the New Abia that is much talked about today across all boards and social circle.
While other Nigerian governors exerts energy on a blanket ban on youth engagement on social media activities, government agents announcing rewards to unruly youths for their uncouth social behaviors, the Abia State Labour party leader, Governor Dr Alex Otti, is equipping the youths in his State with leadership skills to make them suitable for future leadership tasks in his homeland and beyond.
Gov Alex Otti has provided funding and expertise training for a leadership academy initiative where the leadership potential of the younger generation between the ages of 16 and 20 years would be groomed rather than allow the young people to waste their days away in a futile chase of social media validation
Speaking at a public function, Governor Otti had emphasized the implication of the training which will prepare future leaders of the state, preparing them in trending technology in Artificial intelligence, Robotics, Engineering, leadership skills and technical knowledge modeled in line with global leadership demands.
The young Abians numbering in their thousands has been divided into phases where each group are exposed to the functions of government of the New Abia, leadership responsibilities and ICT.
There is no better way to reinforce the kind of economic and social development the Abia state government has recorded under the administration of Governor Otti other than grooming young men and women who will rise to take up and wear the big shoes of the long march to a model state where other South Eastern political leaders will look up to for guidance in responsible leadership.
“Our vision is that in a few years, if you are looking for leaders, you have to come to Abia State” said Gov Otti as he welcomes the first batch of the recipients at the premises of Government College, Umuahia.
