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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Prior to the March 18 date of the governorship election across the country, many Abians had desired a change. They needed a break from the past.
Therefore, having promised during the electioneering how he would transform Abia if he becomes governor, Abians waited with bated breathe the inauguration of Dr. Alex Otti as the governor of the state after he was declared winner of the governorship election in the state.
True to type, Otti, right from the day of his inauguration on May 29, hit the ground running, to the admiration of many.
Not wanting to waste a minute, Otti during his inaugural speech at the Umuahia Township Stadium, declared a state of emergency on refuse in Aba and Umuahia, two cities that had hosted mountainous refuse sites in the past.
This and other measures already taken by Otti in the first 30 days of his administration, which is aimed at lifting the state out of its present infrastructural quagmire and economic doldrum, when some other governors are in actuality battling to settle down in office, has indeed excited many in the state, including a group, Better Amurie Development Initiative (BADI).
BADI is a community-based group domiciled in Amurie Nkporo, in Ohafia Local Government Area of the state, but with tentacles spread across the state, to monitor the impact of governance on the governed.
After its recent appraisal meeting, the group came out with a clean bill of health in all fours for the new administration in the state.
In a statement endorsed by Chief Don Chris, chairman; Absalom Onuoha, treasurer; Martins Ndukwe Chukwu, public relations officer and Ude Owuu Kalu, secretary, which conveyed the group’s position, BADI said in not sounding sycophantic, that it was fascinated with what Otti has done so far as governor.
Reeling out some of the governor’s achievements so far, BADI noted with delight that as a first step, not only did Otti declare a state of emergency on refuse in Aba and Umuahia, he followed the declaration up by setting up a committee that went into action to clear the two cities of mountainous refuse which dotted their landscape.
The group equally lauded Otti for the moves he has made so far to rebuild Aba, the commercial hub of the state. Not with the present administration’s handing over in one day, seven roads in the city to contractors for rehabilitation.
“As the city that generates bulk of the revenue for the state, Governor Otti’s move to create a special vehicle for the comprehensive development of Aba is highly commendable”.
Making Aba work, according to the group, “would be tantamount to making Abia State and the entire South East work”.
BADI equally lauded Otti over his efforts to right the wrongs of the past government and sanitize markets in the state.
The group noted with joy that immediately Otti was inaugurated as governor, one of the first things he did was to stop the numerous illegal levies traders were forced to pay previously.
“Traders had before now been forced to pay uncountable levies, but the governor stopped that immediately he was sworn-in to the relief of the traders”.
BADI also commended Otti for appointing real traders to head the various market unions unlike in the immediate past when people who are not traders, but have affinity with those in power, were imposed on the traders.
“We have had cases in the past when someone who was not a trader, but because he has affinity with those in power, was imported and imposed on the traders, this caused problems and that is why we are happy with what the governor in that regard”.
The group posited that Otti’s administration, though new, has remained the best thing to have happened to the traders in recent times.
If what Otti has done to bring back Aba to its lost glory and reposition her markets excited members of the group, the governor’s setting up of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Recovery of Government Properties and Funds, surely put BADI on cloud seven.
The group observed with joy that going by how the state’s fund was mismanaged, it was only imperative for a governor who is worth the calling of his office, to set up such a panel.
BADI said only those who were involved in the mismanagement, will oppose the setting up of the panel, assuring that Abians are much behind the governor on this.
BADI beamed it’s searchlight towards the civil service in the state where it observed with happiness, the suspension of the Head of Service (HoS) and all the Permanent Secretaries, with the exception of two.
“There is no way he would have allowed those who were part of the problems all these years to remain in office; they would have remained cog in the wheel of progress of his administration and Abia would not have been better”, the group reasoned.
Having fulfilled one of his campaign promises of paying Abia workers by the 28 day of last month, BADI commended Otti by copiously quoting the good work by Richard N. Haass, “You cannot be effective if those who work for you are not. So, building their effectiveness ought to be a priority”.
For the group, by so doing, the governor has in principle satisfied the fundamental tenet of social contract he had with the people during the campaigns. BADI would want Otti to add to the steam as Abia is in a hurry to meet up with her neighbours and even overtake them.
