“The concept of the new Abia was not a claim in rhetoric for the purpose of campaigning neither was it a publicity stunt on billboards after the election. It is a statement introduced by Dr. Alex Otti in the course of his journey to government house. It is a reality that will continue to unfold and reveal what Nigeria stand to gain the moment it chooses to stand behind a man with sincerity of purpose to lead a revolution of development both in social and physical infrastructure.”
By Njoku SaintJerry A.
All over the world, it is the utmost desires of people to have men of sincere intentions occupy positions of leadership whether it’s in business or politics.
Sincerity pays, sincerity is golden and it attracts men to you, it embolden the individual to build quality and lasting relationship
Nigerians loves good life and they live it anytime and anywhere they find it. Unfortunately Nigerians has continually had this good life denied them at every political dispensation, their rulers deceive and lie their way to positions of authority then take turns to deepen the sordid economic situation of the citizenry.
The excitement that greeted south east center of commerce and Industry, Abia state on the 18th and 22nd of March 2023 when Alex Otti was declared winner of the 2023 gubernatorial election was remarkably unusual. It revealed the long journey to freedom and the situation of a people held in captivity from attaining their true potentials for decades, it sparked off a hope for a future long awaited, the new Abia.
The concept of the new Abia was not a claim in rhetoric for the purpose of campaigning neither was it a publicity stunt on billboards after the election. It is a statement introduced by Dr. Alex Otti in the course of his journey to government house. It is a reality that will continue to unfold and reveal what Nigeria stand to gain the moment it chooses to stand behind a man with sincerity of purpose to lead a revolution of development both in social and physical infrastructure.
This is what Alex Otti is doing in Abia State; he has exemplified the leadership that Nigeria continues to lack at the center by his down to earth involvement in the governance of the state.
It will interest you to know that for almost a year in power, the labour party leader has not embarked on any flamboyant oversea trip with a bowl in the hand shouting and begging the world to come and invest in Abia state, a common feature in Nigeria political administrations.
In his own words; “If you have the right systems put in place, security, electricity, a decent environment and the welfare of the people whom constitute the engine of the economy, you would have set the pace for the kind of development every citizen is yearning for and investors will naturally flow towards you.”
This is exactly what the Alex Otti led Labour party administration has put in place in their order of priorities beginning from the welfare of the Abia state workers, men and women who sustains the Abia economic cycle, to the environment, by reopening every road networks connecting to the rural communities to the urban and nearby trade ports. Abia state alone shares boundary with about 7 commercially viable states that depends on those connectivity to boost internal and external economy that should make the South East states stand out.
In matters of security, this is the only region in Nigeria that has exhibited confidence and maturity in dealing with the security situations when it confronted the environmental menace at the infamous Lokpanta Cattle market axis that has continuously posed a security threat for decades.
Today, Abia State will continue to serve as a clear example of what leadership should entail in dealing with the security situations in the country despite the media distractions by individuals pretending to be playing oppositions albeit in ignorance as Infrastructure work to resettle the occupants and the business in the region has continued unabated.
Electricity distribution has remained one of Nigeria’s albatross and a repeating nightmare yet Abia state has taken the boldness and sincerity to deal with it head on without the unpopular media and political distractions that have always muddled up every sincere attempt to rebuild this broken nation.
The Labour party leader, Alex Otti has maintained a commitment started since inception of the dream project to light up the South East Center of Industry and Commerce with his unalloyed support to Bart Nnaji Geometric Power both inside and outside of office since inception and today Abia has the capacity and potential to lead in Nigeria’s industrial revolution as it launched a regular power supply project by the Geometric group under the leadership of the Alex Otti led Labour party government.
Within a year of coming to power, the Labour Party leader has paid a conscientious attention to the development of the region so much that enumerating them here will take pages although some are remarkably unavoidable like the Aba Port Harcourt Highway, the Umuahia-Uzuakoli –Abiriba – Ohafia road, the Abia State Industrial Innovation Park with its ambitious modular refinery project, the Clean Up Aba and Light Up Abia project, the opening up of rural road networks to encourage our farmers etc, such sincerity of purpose to build and establish credence in leadership wins trust both from the local and international community and they have been visiting to prove a point that Abia is ready for business.
This is the dream, of every Nigerian, to have his homeland back in the leadership of men with sincerity of purpose; and committed to the cause of development of his communities to improve the quality of life. Now, how does this improves the Foreign Development Index (FDI) of the state.
I have repeatedly received calls by foreign interests whom for a long time have nursed the ambition to explore opportunities in Africa largest economy but are being held back due to uncertainty, perhaps, deliberately created by men occupying political positions albeit lacking sound knowledge of how the economy operates, they held on still and politicizes everything leaving their region deplorable and repelling every genuine intention to pursue investment in such places.
With the emergence of the Alex Otti led Labour party government and the ongoing physical and social infrastructure projects, cost of properties in regions within the Aba, Umuahia and Ohafia axis has increased by 40%
I have continued to receive inquiries by many Diaspora Nigerians from the South East region who fled the country for economic reasons, many would like to return to properties abandoned for ages which value has increased by reasons of the positive reactions the Abia state government of Alex Otti continue to receive, Diaspora members and business owners from Lagos and Abuja have continued to make frantic inquiry of which area to buy up properties in Abia State.
Without making a public statement on so many of the deals under discussion between foreign investors and the state government under the Private Partnership models until they’re due for pronouncement, it will be interesting to put it clear that neither the governor, Dr,. Alex Otti, nor any member of his cabinet has been engaged in any foreign oversea jamboree investment trips for media headlines rather their commitment and sincerity to serve has paved way for the boost in Abia state FDI and that is one thing Nigeria at the center will continue to hope for under a L:abour party government because this is the only party with individuals whose primary concern continue to focus on the welfare and prosperity of the ordinary citizenry and their environment
Njoku StJerry A is the State Publicity Secretary, Labour Party, Abia – He writes from Umuahia
