Being the Text of an Address Presented by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at a Public Lecture to Mark the Second Anniversary of his Administration on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at the JAAC Building Auditorium, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia
Protocols
1. Ideas are the foundational pillars upon which the critical structures of social and economic transformation rest. Every marvel that exists today, even the intricate details of the most complex technological or structural machinery, once started as an idea, inspired by knowledge and expanded through the mind’s power of infinite curiosity. Nothing of significance was ever achieved without first being conceived in the mind and pushed into reality by building layers and layers of new ideas — such that transform the movement of electrons into the ageless wonder of electricity. Ideas are therefore the true capital, the rest, as a philosopher once said, is just money, defined as a means of exchange.
2. Let me on this note thank the guest lecturer, Dr Kalu Idika Kalu, OFR, for the brilliance of his presentation and for exploring the foundational philosophy of the New Abia framework. Dr Kalu’s intellectual offering has lent further credibility to the scope of transformation happening here and if there is one person who says it as it is, who does not need to inflate outcomes or speak for applause, Dr Kalu, a renowned global economist, former Finance Minister of the Federal Republic, and an accomplished elder statesman, is that authority. More importantly, Dr Kalu’s testimony is true because he is talking to his people and as many of us may be aware; in a gathering of kinsmen like this, only the truth is good enough.
3. We decided to put this lecture together to talk to ourselves honestly and evaluate how far we have come, what we have done right and what we can do better because as I had said in times past, no human endeavour is perfect for even our best output today can be made better. We are, however, required to be open to honest assessment and constructive engagement with those watching keenly from the sides. The choice of Dr Kalu as the guest lecturer, beyond the fact that he has the intellectual depth and professional exposure to make a critical evaluation of the frame of development that has taken place in Abia over the last 24 months, was hemmed by the understanding that his recommendations would be helpful in navigating the complex demands of governance in a dynamic socio-political environment where success requires striking a balance between investing in critical infrastructure and also committing resources to support extremely vulnerable individuals and families. Dr Kalu, as we saw through the length of his beautiful presentation, appreciates that often times, what changes society in the long run, may not be the gigantic physical infrastructure that excite public imagination but investments in seemingly abstract ventures which ultimately improve the health, knowledge and wealth of the present and future generations.
4. I must also express great satisfaction with the feedbacks provided during the question and answer session. The central takeaway for me is that there is a growing interest in matters of governance in the State. The enthusiasm of our people to seek information, commend government when it does right and express reservations when it errs tells me that we have stirred something in the system. The implication is that nobody will ever come here and take the people for a ride going forward. Having banished the ghost of delays or outright denial of salaries and pensions, improved urban sanitation and tackled the challenge of poor road networks, it would be nigh-impossible for any governor to come in the future and give idle excuses for non-performance.
5. For me, the highlight of our achievements in the last two years is the fact that we have raised the governance bar that no one will ever be permitted to bring it lower. It is either you are prepared to work for Ndi Abia with sincerity of purpose, or you remain in your comfort zone. On the strength of what we have accomplished in terms of inspiring debates and regular interactions through programmes like the monthly media chat which allows me the opportunity to feel the pulse of our people, I believe strongly that we have eternally closed all channels of deceit and dishonesty in public service here.
6. Leadership, I have to reiterate, is simply about the expression and execution of ideas. The development status of any society often paints an accurate picture of the quality of ideas that run in the minds of its leaders. If you pay attention to the evolution of societies through history, you can effortlessly establish one fact: nothing of significance happens by accident. Greatness is the product of deliberate planning and consistency in asking the one question that is at the heart of every transformation: what if?
7. Everything happening in Abia today started off as an idea, a product of what if — what if we make our road networks better, how would that impact economic output? What if our streets are cleaner, how would it support the appeal of our urban centres? What if we pay salaries and pensions as and when due, how would it benefit the upbringing and education of Abia children, and the productivity of the workforce? What if we make Abia an oasis of safety, fight criminality headlong and make this place a difficult environment for outlaws to operate, how would this initiative impact business growth, employment generation and entrepreneurship? What if we make Abia a model state and give our people all over the world a sense of identity and pride, would that motivate them to bring their investments and wealth home? What if we recreate a state where opportunities for self-expression and fulfilment exist for everyone such that our young men don’t need to empty into other places just to find a regular job? What if we build systems that attract global talents and capital to Abia?
8. Seeking answers to these important questions established another layer of facts: we have to be above board in everything we do. Our appointments, investment decisions, choice of projects and the quality of vendors, must reflect the scope of our aspirations. From the very beginning, we made it clear that we can only celebrate real achievements and the regular people must be at the forefront. Many of us were in Aba seven days ago to witness the “Promise Kept” carnival organised by landlords and business owners in the city after the successful delivery of Port Harcourt Road. Without a kobo from the coffers of the State Government, traders, artisans, commercial drivers and others pooled resources to celebrate what the government has done in their city. Even my suggestion that we wait for the official commissioning before we roll out the drums was not heeded. “It was the people’s event and not a government programme”, I was told. Last Saturday, they continued with street walks to announce what many tagged the “liberation of Aba from the shackles of bad roads and stinking environment.”
9. Across the State, random individuals plying the roads we had either constructed or rehabilitated make videos narrating their experiences and share to the public without any input from us. A former Minister of Finance who visited the State recently made a viral social media post announcing that Umuahia has gone from being one of the dirtiest urban destinations in the country to one of its cleanest. We do not take such testimonies for granted.
10. Our guest lecturer understands taxation better than most of us having played a major role in the evolution of the Nigerian tax system but he is also aware that one universal fact about taxation is that many people, especially dollar billionaires, would prefer to either pay very little or nothing at all. It may, however, come as news to him that something unprecedented is happening here. Businessmen and entrepreneurs on their own come to me to ask how they can contribute more to the government through taxes or by whatever name. Clearly they agree with my position that taxes represent government’s share of the prosperity it helped to create. Seeing how what we are doing with road infrastructure, security and urban sanitation impacts their economic fortunes, the businesses making the most of the improved environment in Abia are not shy to step forward to ask the government to take its share.
11. Abia is evidently changing and the credit for the transformation belongs to all of us. We are therefore encouraged to keep pushing and never stop asking what if. We are only getting started because much of what we have done in the last 2 years is to correct the terrible injustice of the past, starting with offsetting outstanding salary and pension arrears, rehabilitating roads that went bad decades ago and other responsibilities that our predecessors quietly ignored. I am glad that we have made remarkable progress and set a new benchmark that would form the backbone of the structure of governance. We shall commit the remaining two years of this term to institutionalising the reforms that have been initiated. As you may be aware, I signed 18 new legislations passed by the State House of Assembly into law on Monday. The letters and spirit of those legislations are structured to improve governance outcomes, unleash dormant economic potentials and make our administrative system more responsive.
12. Let me once again thank everyone in this auditorium for the honour of your presence at this special anniversary lecture. We shall have more intellectually stimulating events like this going forward and I have directed my team to develop a robust framework for achieving it. We shall not be tired of listening to and debating new ideas for that is the path to continuous growth and progress. Collectively, we shall make Abia the hub of transformational ideas.
13. Let me once again thank Dr. Kalu for accepting to come and for the excellent delivery of a thought-provoking lecture. Like Oliver Twist, we will come again and we hope you will not give us the Oliver Twist treatment.
14. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for listening and may God bless Abia State.
Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR.
28th May, 2025