Abia State electorate and political stakeholders are on the verge to experience and witness new dawn. Essentially, new era in the political, social, and economic emancipation cum development of Abia very soon. The advent and inauguration in office of Dr. Alex Otti, come May 2019, as the Governor and his team is critical and strategic in the attainment of the long-over-due and much anticipated new era and dispensation. Abia electorate and citizenry have great responsibilities and patriotic roles to play to usher in the new era through wise choices and decisions in casting ballots in the course of performing the quadrennial-civic-electoral franchise in March 9, 2019 Governorship elections.

Thereafter, Dr. Alex Otti, having being duly elected and empowered by the electorate can confidently mount the saddle of leadership in line with constitutional provisions stepping in to provide credible citizenry-orientated and public-spirited leadership, that is sorely lacking presently and was the bane of Abia State in the time past. The first condition and prerequisite towards the actualization of the much desired new era/dispensation conventionally rests squarely with the Abia electorate by choosing wisely Dr. Alex Otti in the polls as the fit and proper person for the strategic office of Governor.

A template for Change Initiatives in the new era is desirable and paramount in holistic sense. The template designed to serve as the compass for the action plans, policies, and programmes in the new dispensation is the charter for the new face of Abia. For better appreciation of the fundamental essence and objectives of the fore stated template, it is very necessary, though sad unfortunately, that we must acknowledge herein the grim, sordid, and negative appellations characterizing the image/portrait of Abia in grave terms, specifically in stark contrast against sister states in the same zone with similar capabilities or potentialities, or even with less, comparatively. Peer-sister states in comparison have moved on ahead leaving Abia to languish behind almost in all indices of developmental initiatives and measurements since the inception of democratic dispensation in 1999.

Abia enjoys singularly in the South East Zone and in the surrounding zones the gloomy, notorious image of a backwards, retrogressive-Byzantine-era entity, amidst enormous and stupendous human capital resource, economic endowment, sundry potentialities, and countless other valuable blessings and favourable conditions, except capable and imaginative leadership necessary to lift up Abia to where she rightly belongs. These worrisome, catastrophic identities and profiles of Abia, are the direct/indirect results of sequence of serial poor leadership in corporate governance, abuse of political power and office, obnoxious and gross mis-management, squandering of vital economic endowment especially fiscal and revenue incomes/earnings allocations of the state in gargantuan proportions in the hands of preceding administrations and most glaringly by the present and incumbent government. The systemic-wide misadventure has escalated to epidemic levels under the inept current leadership.

The barbaric conditions visited on the Israelites’ in Egypt antedating the historic Exodus were much better compared to the excruciating and oppressive conditions unleashed on Abia citizenry at the moment in the hands 21st century neo-colonists, comprising of bands of Mafia-like cartels, corrupt syndicates and predators masquerading as political leaders, spread across the spectrum of entire government institutions and organs. These painful, sadistic conditions in Abia are reversible and redeemable but calls for urgent interventions of systematized deep rooted Change-driven-Initiatives under the watchful guidance of consummate leadership, using the experiences and perspectives of the Israelites story. Abians must arrive the promised land, notwithstanding the present challenges.

The template of Change Initiatives of Dr. Alex Otti’s passion and bright vision for Abia are encapsulated herein. There is great and bright hope for Abia in the new era/dispensation. New era in Abia shall become a foregone reality in 2019. New dispensation of hope and limitless possibilities in Abia horizons is era of consolation and rebirth. The old order and discredited systems would be dismantled and replaced by a new order and new credible systems in all ramifications. In these contexts, in 2019, “old things are passed away; behold all things are become new’’. (2 Cor. 5: 17.)

In 2019 Abia State must be salvaged by Abia electorate in the common interest of the wellbeing of the citizenry in all-inclusive leadership. Abia must never again be abandoned for further exploitations as the private estate or mortgaged property in the hands of the present crop of rapacious plunders. We must use our votes judiciously and wisely to declare collectively, firmly, and unanimously Enough Is Enough.

This is the most important duty we must accomplish in 2019 as a generation. We shall never fail. We shall accomplish this sacred duty accordingly in order to secure and safeguard the future and the survival of Abia State.

Chukwuma

Coordinator

Association For Better Abia State & Good Governance