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Governor Alex Otti, leading Abia State, affirms the irreversible commitment of his administration to secure the Umuchieze regional Cattle Market through fencing as a vital security enhancement.
Governor Alex Otti, during a media parley in Umuahia, clarified that the proposal to fence the Umuchieze regional Cattle Market is still in effect, contradicting rumors circulating in some quarters.
Governor Alex Otti pointed out that the project’s funds demanded a bidding process following due diligence, resulting in a minor delay.
‘I can’t be cowed. The amount of money involved in the project is enormous and we want to do bidding. Once we are done, fencing will begin.’
‘Every right-thinking person not just in Abia but beyond supports our decision to fence the market as a necessary security measure. Those opposing the move are either not properly informed or mischievous.’
The Governor hinted that the initial report from the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Property, instituted by his administration, is prepared and scheduled for presentation to him next week.
He also committed to putting into action the committee’s recommendations, prioritizing the state’s interests.
‘The panel has told me its report will be ready next week, and when we receive it, we won’t be afraid to do the right thing’.
Read also: Otti Considers Minimum Wage Increase For Abia Workers
He further said that contractors who collected money from Government but failed to execute job commensurate to what they collected would soon be invited for explanations.
‘We know that a lot of rural roads are in bad condition but we want to tackle the major urban roads with economic importance. When we are done, we will then face the rural areas.’
‘But in some of the roads, money has been collected over and above the level of work done.
‘The contractors will have to answer questions but we are just new and don’t want to begin to quarrel with old contractors’.
Addressing the issue of an inflated civil service, Governor Alex Otti disclosed his directive to redeploy surplus employees to areas of greater need, including teaching positions in schools.
‘We have too many people in the civil service. The verification we did revealed a lot of things. We have humongous civil servants and I can’t find what some of them are actually doing.
‘I have directed the Chief of Staff to redeploy 235 from the Government House but there are more. Those who have capacity to teach will be sent to schools to help out’.
Otti said that the state government under his watch had started paying its counterpart funding, adding that some donor agencies that left the state before now, had started coming back.
He hinted that his administration had invested heavily to restore the accreditation of the College of Medicine for Abia State University Uturu, which was lost during the past administration.
‘You know that the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, ABSUTH, lost accreditation before now. But we are investing so much to get the school back to shape.’
‘We are retrofitting ABSU. New equipment that we procured are being brought in. Very soon the regulatory body for the accreditation of Medical College will be visiting the school, and we are very optimistic that the lost accreditation will be restored’.
