Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has emphasized that delivering quality infrastructure to the people of the state takes precedence over his place of residence or operational base as Governor.
Otti made this declaration during his monthly media chat titled Governor Otti Speaks to Abians, where he reiterated that his primary focus remains on delivering tangible results to the people rather than where he operates from.
The Governor explained that the delay in relocating to the Government House in Umuahia was due to the careful allocation of resources. He assured residents that the Government House would be renovated soon, not only for his administration but also for future governors.
He said, “You are worried that I am not operating from here. I don’t think you should worry about that. The important thing is that I’m operating. Abians want to see activities, not where the Governor is operating from. Where I live is not as important as having good roads in Aba and Umuahia and other Local Government Areas in the State. It is not as important as ensuring that Aba and Umuahia, particularly, are kept clean on a 24-hour, seven days basis. It is not as important as ensuring that our people have good hospitals and accessible schools to go to. It is not as important as ensuring that our schools are fixed. Those were the areas I declared a state of emergency on. I didn’t declare an emergency on Government House and where the Governor will live.”
Otti further elaborated on the state of disrepair at the Government House, stating, “When I inspected both the Governor’s Lodge and the Governor’s Office, they were in terrible states of disrepair and vandalism. Renovating them requires significant funds, but I considered it more urgent to channel those resources into infrastructure, security, health, environment, and education.”
He assured residents that the Government House would eventually be addressed, saying, “I can assure you that in no distant time, since we are taking care of those important areas, we will come here and the Government House. We don’t have time. We are in a hurry. So, we have to do so many things at the same time. Before you know it, the four years is over, and you will be wondering what happened.”
