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The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has called for collaboration between himself and the Abia State Government in the development of Bende Federal Constituency and other parts of the state.
He also lamented that some officials of the Abia State Government allegedly stopped contractors from building a health centre and school projects he attracted to his constituency, Bende.
Kalu stated this during a media chat with journalists at his country home in Bende.
“It has gotten to a level in Bende where we went to build a health centre and we faced resistance. Why should a Federal Government–attracted project be denied the people?” Kalu asked.
However, responding to the issue on Wednesday, the Abia State Government, through the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, alleged that Eluokwu Community School in Igbere, Bende Local Government Area, was demolished on the orders of the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.
According to the Chief Press Secretary, the school, which was earmarked and awarded to a contractor for an upgrade to a smart school by the Abia State Government, was allegedly demolished without consultation with relevant agencies of the state government.
Ukoha further said that the Abia State Government allocated a parcel of land to the Deputy Speaker for the construction of a federal housing project he attracted to his constituency.
The House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services has lauded Abia State for remarkable progress in healthcare delivery, describing it as a model for other states.
Committee chairman Amos Magaji made the disclosure on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to Governor Alex Otti in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South. The visit formed part of a nationwide oversight exercise to assess the implementation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and other health interventions, ahead of a proposed increase in the fund’s allocation from one to two per cent.
Magaji highlighted Abia’s significant improvements in urban renewal and healthcare services, noting that the state had surpassed the Abuja Declaration by allocating over 15 per cent of its budget to health and revitalising primary and specialist hospitals. Maternal mortality has reportedly dropped from over 1,000 deaths per 100,000 births in 2016 to 139 in 2025. “We have visited over 30 states, and Abia is clearly one of the great success stories in the health sector,” he said.
Read also: Abia Governor Greenlights Hiring Of 649 Health Workers
Governor Otti emphasised that his administration prioritises giving residents the highest possible chance of survival and is creating an environment to attract and retain skilled health professionals. Magaji added that doctors, including neurosurgeons, are returning from the United States and other countries to work in Abia.
