Easter: Abia has risen with Christ – Otti

• Vows to reclaim wasted years

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

The Governor-elect of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, has used the occasion of this year’s Easter to felicitate with the people of Abia State, saying as Jesus Christ conquered death and rose from the dead, so has Abia State defeated her enemies and risen from the stranglehold of underdevelopment.

This is even as Otti has vowed to reclaim the wasted years of poverty and underdevelopment of the state.

In an Easter message he personally signed, Otti said he saw a correlation between the story of Easter and that of Abia State.

He added, “Just like our Lord Jesus Christ conquered death and rose from the dead, Abia State, by the grace of God, has defeated her enemies and has risen from the stranglehold of underdevelopment, deprivation and poverty to prosperity and transformation”.

Describing the story of Easter as the greatest story of love ever told, Otti said it was a thing of joy and gratitude that
God demonstrated His love towards mankind by giving His only Son as a sacrifice so that mankind can be redeemed from eternal death.

“This Easter is particularly special for me because it is the Easter following our victory at the polls where our people spoke eloquently and gallantly with their votes. I thank the Almighty God for the wonderful privilege to share the good news of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead with you.

“Even when the evil forces that had held the state bound in the last 24 years rose once again to steal our victory, God in His infinite mercy said, no, and literally stood against them. We were subsequently declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after four days”.

Meanwhile, the Governor-elect has said Abia has suffered immensely over the years, but vowed the incoming administration was going to reclaim the wasted years.

Otti made the vow through the deputy Governor-elect, Ikechukwu Emetu when Men of Goodwill, a body of traders from the Ngwa Road Market (Ahia Ohuru), Aba paid him solidarity visit at his Ohafia country home.

“The Government we are going to inherit come May 29, is not a government that will leave money in the coffers of the state, no, we are inheriting liabilities. On loan, its over N190b outside salaries, pensions and gratuity. But we will tackle these problems, we will make sure we will reclaim the several wasted years”.

He said the government of Otti was poised to making sure that Aba has 24/7 night life which will translate to money velocity.

“You know what we have in Abia State today is when everybody finishes his business in Aba, they go home and sleep and their money also goes home to sleep. What the in-coming government will do is to introduce that money velocity which Aba has experienced for a very long time now; to bring back that night life, which trickles down to security in Aba and Abia State.

The deputy Governor-elect said it was not in doubt that Aba generates over 62 percent of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and as such, the in-coming government would start from there, to fix all the connecting roads in Aba so that government would tap its great revenue potential.

He thanked the traders for believing in Otti and assured them their trust in him will not be in vain.

Emetu assured the traders that the in-coming administration in Abia was going to make sure that the traders will have the ability to elect leaders freely and at the same time, create enabling environment for them to do their businesses.

Earlier, coordinator of the Men of Goodwill, Ngwa Road Market, Ndubuisi Ejeagba Nendes had told the deputy Governor-elect that traders in Aba fully supported Otti during the campaign and would extend the same support to his administration.

He drew the attention of the in-coming administration to what he said the traders have suffered over the years including the demolition of their shops in the guise of remodeling of the market and pleaded that Otti should address the contentious issue immediately he was inaugurated into office.

Nendes regretted that Abia has suffered over the years, but expressed joy that with the emergence of Otti as Governor-elect, there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

Other leaders of the group who spoke, including Amarachi Kalu, woman leader, National Association of Nigerian Traders, Abia State chapter; Arinzechukwu Giddy Nwabueze (Umunya); Emmanuel Ahanonu and Onwukwe Eleke, all said they worked and prayed for the emergence of Otti as governor because of his dignity and integrity.