Governor Alex Otti has fulfilled his promise by reclaiming Aba Mega Mall without force and paying off all investors and bankers. Find out how he pulled it off and what comes next.
… A Promise Fulfilled: Otti Secures Full Ownership of Mega Mall for Abia Govt, Plans Industrial Revolution
By AFN Editorial Team
In a move that has sparked political debate and drawn applause across Abia State, Governor Alex Otti, OFR, has fulfilled a key campaign promise by officially reclaiming the long-abandoned Aba Mega Mall complex, previously held by private investors and marred by years of inactivity and debt under past administrations.
Now fully owned by the Abia State Government, the once-disputed multi-million-dollar asset located in Osisioma LGA has been taken over without the use of force, according to the Governor.
“We didn’t want to use force… We called all of them, asked how much they were being owed, and we paid all—even paid their bankers,” Governor Otti said to thunderous applause at a recent religious crusade held on the premises of the newly reclaimed facility.
Governor Otti made this revelation during a 3-day Mega Crusade hosted by the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries at the mall grounds. Addressing thousands of worshipers, he confirmed that the financial impasse around the mega project had been peacefully resolved about three weeks earlier, effectively returning the strategic property to the people of Abia.
A Legacy of Abandonment Ends
The Aba Mega Mall, commissioned in May 2015, was once hailed as the largest mall in West Africa, but it quickly became a symbol of political failure after years of abandonment and investor frustration under the previous government.
On February 5, 2025, Dr. Paul Obanua, Chairman and CEO of Greenfield Assets Limited, formally approached Governor Otti to request the government’s intervention in salvaging the failed project. True to his promise, Otti stepped in—not just with words, but with action and finance.
“This is a remarkable achievement,” Dr. Obanua declared, praising the Governor for defraying his company’s decade-old loan and making way for a complete financial exit. He described the rescue effort as a “significant financial milestone.”
According to Dr. Obanua, the repayment also resolved lingering debt obligations with First City Monument Bank (FCMB). A letter of non-indebtedness was presented to him by FCMB MD/CEO, Mrs. Yemisi Edun, confirming the closure of all financial commitments tied to the mall.
Industrial Use Incoming
With the legal and financial frameworks resolved, Governor Otti emphasized that plans are already underway to put the vast complex to productive industrial use, marking the dawn of a new economic chapter for Aba and Abia State at large.
“If you come back here in a few months, you would know that this place now truly belongs to Abia State,” Otti affirmed.
Observers see this move as a major win for Governor Otti’s administration, signaling not just the reclaiming of wasted infrastructure, but also a shift toward sustainable industrialization under a transparent and people-focused government.
Meanwhile, in Houston, USA, Dr. Obanua and Mrs. Edun are already exploring new opportunities for foreign direct investment in energy and infrastructure sectors—an initiative tied to the larger dream of turning Aba and its environs into a manufacturing and technology hub.
Controversy Over Past Neglect
Critics have questioned why past administrations failed to resolve the ownership disputes or leverage the mall’s potential, accusing former leaders of turning a blind eye to the project’s collapse.
“This is what leadership looks like—resolving what others left to rot,” a political analyst commented. WATCH VIDEO BELOW:
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