Abia State Governor, Alex Otti recorded some modest achievements in different sectors during his first 100 days in office.
The former Managing Director of the defunct Diamond Bank PLC, who was sworn in on May 29, had, immediately he assumed office, declared emergency on waste disposal, bad roads and insecurity in the state.
The governor flagged off the construction of nine roads in Aba, out of which five have already been completed and are ready for commissioning.
The completed roads are Umuimo road, Emelogu road, Jubilee road, Cemetery road, Shalom road and Obehie road built in Ukwa West Local Government Area by Abia State Oil Producing Communities Development Commission, ASOPADEC.
Road rehabilitation is also going on at Agbama Housing Estate in Umuahia, the state capital.
In line with the governor’s plan to give the state capital a facelift, 160 buildings are to be demolished from Ossah Junction to Okpara Square to give way for a 6-lane road. Already, modalities for payment of compensation to property owners are being worked out.
In the area of waste management, the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA, under Otti’s watch, has acquired and deposited over 100 waste buckets at strategic places in Umuahia and Aba for easier collection and evacuation of refuse.
In healthcare, the Otti administration has rehabilitated three hospitals in the state. Medical doctors have also been employed and deployed to the hospitals.
The hospitals include Abia State Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre in Umuahia, Ugwunagbo General Hospital and Obehie General Hospital.
The governor also launched a combined security outfit known as Operation Crush, to tackle criminal activities in the state.
Otti’s administration has also donated 20 Toyota Hilux vans to different security agencies in the state, including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, among others.
The Otti-led Labour Party administration is also installing solar powered streetlights in some major streets in Umuahia and Aba to beautify the cities and as well help security agencies in fighting crime at night.
In the same vein, Otti has been keeping to his inaugural promise by paying the salaries of Abia State civil servants on or before the 28th day of every month.
Apart from these, he has cleared the outstanding April and May salary arrears left behind by the the previous administration of Okezie Ikpeazu.
However, many workers who have not been successfully captured in the ongoing verification exercise are yet to get their salaries.
The verification exercise embarked on by Otti’s administration has led to the discovery of 2,300 ghost workers, saving the sum of N220 million from the state’s wage bill, according to the Accountant General, Mrs Njum Onyemenam.
The governor also set up a Probe Panel headed by Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe (Rtd) to recover all state funds and property allegedly stolen or misappropriated by officials of the Okezie Ikpeazu administration.
However, 100 days in office have also been 100 days of continuous criticisms from the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for Otti and the government he leads.
The PDP, which has criticised almost every action taken by the governor, maintains that he has done nothing worth celebrating.
Speaking through its vice chairman, Abraham Amah, the Abia State chapter of the PDP said Otti is autocratic in the manner he handles the state’s affairs.
According to the PDP, most of the governor’s actions are not designed for the the advancement of the state but are meant to witch-hunt former governor Okezie Ikpeazu and officials of his government.
Actions taken by Otti, which are being faulted by the opposition party, include the setting up of a probe panel to investigate Ikpeazu’s eight years as governor, suspension of permanent secretaries and the sack of civil servants employed by the last administration between December 2022 to April 2023.
The PDP also alleged that the Otti has been claiming some projects executed by the last administration, including the rehabilitation and remodelling of the A-Line section of Ariaria International Market, Aba, without giving credit to Ikpeazu.
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