BY GORDI UDEAJAH

Updating on his decision on not leaving or not leaving his Labour Party, Abia state governor Dr Alex Otti has said that it is tomorrow or the future, that can decide or determine his change of decision, basing it on that ” nobody knows tomorrow”.

The Governor gave the update Thursday night during his monthly chat with journalists who demanded update on his decision following the recent Court verdict that ruled the expiration of the tenure of the former National Chairman of the Labour Party Mr Julius Abure and endorsing the leadership of senator Nenadi Usman, instead of Abure.

The national leadership struggle between Abure an Usman had lingered creating fears that if Abure retained the position, Otti’s chance of securing the Labour Party 2027 guber ticket would be in jeopardy.

But elated Otti answered the question saying that his group that supports Senator Usman maintained that Abure’s tenure had expired and went to court, who affirmed that it expired.

“We are not in election period. If election comes, we will still run under the Labour Party, but nobody knows tomorrow. I am still in the Labour Party today”

Otti also reacted to the report that some past and present public office holders will soon drag him to court for residing and operating from his Nvosi country home instead of from Umuahia Government House.

He said that he is expecting to be sued in any law court for operating from his Nvosi country home in Isialangwa South LGA , and that his lawyers are waiting.

“I am therefore waiting to be sued. My lawyers are prepared. I have looked at the constitution, there is no provision that I must live somewhere.
The state in which he met the Government House was not livable in, and I am sure, Abians are aware of this. Hence , I don’t owe them that explanation.”

The government house governor Otti inherited has been demolished, and is being redesigned, modernized and rebuilt.

The governor during the interaction also reported on had r his activities in different sectors of the Abia economy since his last media interaction last December, stating that in the education sector, school enrollment has increased to over 700, 000 from about 173,000, with the recruitment of additional new 4,000 teachers process ongoing.

He announced plans by the state government to rate and categorize hotels in the state for easy access using, GPS (Global Positioning System), adding that every hospitality facility in the state will be “digitally rated and enumerated.

His words “in the next few months, all the hotels in the state will be assessed using verified criteria, such that at the click of a button, information on them including Tariffs , services available among others would be accessed by intending customers.

By Gordi Udeajah

Abia state government has set articulation of an Industrial Policy into motion for which a committee has been constituted to drive the process and bringing it to fruition.

The state Information Commissioner Prince Okey Kanu said yesterday that the Industrial Policy is a strategic move to boost the ease of doing business and conducive environment for the people and prospective investors in the state

He said that the policy has become necessary, in view of the strategic and massive transformation of the state in all areas of governance and the institutional reforms that the state government has carried out in the past 31 months.

The Commissioner who said that the administration of governor Alex Otti in the state has underscored the dueness of an industrial policy that can drive the industrial development of the state through its Ease of Doing Business Agency, has done quite well to enhance the ease of doing business environment in the state.

According to him, ” a new industrial policy, together with a very conducive ease of doing business environment, would help to attract investors and development to the state, as well as market its potential, while strengthening its comparative advantage in various areas of resource availability and management”.

The Commissioner further said that
in line with the state 2025 – 2050 development plan that would be championed by the Umuahia Capital Development Authority ( UCDA )  Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) and Greater Ohafia Development Authority (GODA), the state government has initiated more plans for urban renewal of the state which

The initiative, the Commissioner said , would address infrastructure programme aimed at enhancing street naming, house numbering, and geo-reference to ensure order and all-round economic growth of the state.

“We know that in most of our cities, when somebody directs you to a particular number, it will take some time to find that number. Because our streets are not well named, they are not well numbered, and that creates a lot of confusion.

“So the state government has come up with an initiative to address this gap. The state government is executing a long-term development programme or plan, 2025 to 2050.

“Of course, you know that planning, security, logistics, and digital services to a larger extent depend on clear locations and addresses.

“You can imagine where there is a fire outbreak somewhere, and you are directing the fire service to come there, and there is no street address.

Thousands of constituents of Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency in Abia state at the weekend benefited from their house of representatives member Hon Amobi Ogah’s second annual empowerment programme.

At his annual events, Hon Ogah, of the Labour Party, distributes to his constituents, irrespective of their sex, age, political party membership/affiliation, various empowerment / revenue generating items comprising, assorted Vehicle/Cars, Tricycles, Motorcycles, sewing machines, deep freezers, motorcycles, grinding machines, including household utensils, etc which together are estimated to worth above one billion naira

Speaking at the Onuaku Uturu Primary School field venue of the items disbursement, Hon Ogah said that his decision to seek elective political office was informed by his vow to positively impact lives, and extend God’s provisions to him to the people, by empowering them economically.

Hon Ogah said “the prevailing attitude of seeking political office as a means of wealth acquisition should be jettisoned, adding that the people should be the center of service”.

The state Governor Dr Alex Otti of the same Labour Party, represented by the Secretary to the state Government Professor Kenneth Kalu, reiterated to political office holders that improvement of the people’s lives, is and should be the essence of leadership, stating that this has remained the focus of his administration.

A retired public servant and community juggernaut, Elder Ike Madu frowned that many elected public office holders do not cater for their people, like Hon Ogah after they get into office, saying that considering the quality, quantity and cost of the items distributed by Ogah every year, he (Ogah) has excelled both in politicking and philanthropy.

He therefore urged such elected public office officers to emulate Hon Ogah’s effective representation and philanthropic activities to his constituents, and called for the recall of inactive elected public office holders, who he described as “deaf, dumb, lame, dormant and non -reciprocators of their people’s goodwill,

REPORTED BY GORDI UDEAJAH