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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti has defended his appointment of Dr Ezinne Benjamin-Kalu, the wife of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu, as the Chairman of the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) management board.
“I’m sure the people don’t know that I personally interviewed and had chats with seven people for that role. And the lady that we chose did not only come first, but the difference between her and the person that came second was so wide.
“And this happened last year. So, we were waiting for an opportunity to reconstitute the board, given that the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Teaching Hospital was leaving. So, having now reconstituted the board, we believe that it was only proper for us to give the job to the person that came first.
“And that’s what we did. We don’t care whether she’s APC or PDP or YPP or whatever. Those are not important. We don’t even care whether she’s from Abia or from Delta or from anywhere. We are interested in what is in her brain. We are interested in the contacts that she has. And one of the things that stood her out from the other six was the international contacts she has.”
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The governor emphasised that his administration is open to anyone with the requisite capacity to deliver results.
“So, in Abia here, we are open to anybody. Just come with what is inside your brain. We don’t want to know where you come from. We don‘t want to know your political affiliation. When the time comes for voting, you can go and vote for whoever you want to vote. But here, we want results. We want performance.”
Otti added that every appointment made by his administration has been guided strictly by meritocracy, stating that this principle applies across the board—from the appointment of Permanent Secretaries to the recruitment of 5,394 teachers, as well as the ongoing process to employ an additional 4,000 teachers.
He reiterated that place of origin was not a criterion; rather, the determining factors are what individuals can offer and their ability to deliver effectively on the job.
