The governorship candidate of Labour Party in Abia state, Dr. Alex Otti has said that one of the major priorities of his government would be to industrialize the state.

 

Otti who stated this on Friday while presenting his manifesto to Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA) in the commercial nerve city of the state noted that he has all it takes to move Abia from its lackluster performance to a state that others will envy.

Speaking to the captains of various industries in Aba, the former Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank faulted the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state for the devastating state its policies have rendered businesses in Aba.

 

“So many businesses have collapsed completely in Aba. growing up here, we had Aba Textile Mill, Where is it today? We had Factory road where you have PZ. We had Liver brothers, Nigerian Breweries, The International Glass Industries, Just name them. Where are they now?

 

“When businesses men and women are plagued with double taxations in the state, with roads not good for them to convey their goods, how do you expect the to sustain their business. They would rather prefer to go and do businesses in other states”

 

“I saw some people putting billboards on ease of doing business in Abia, and I said, Oh, this people do not understand numbers. I’m sure that you know that there’s something called ease of doing business index, and you know our number out of the 36 states, at the end of December 2021. We were 32 over 36. A state like Jigawa and Sokoto were at 2nd and 3rd, and we were at 32, and why not when you look at Aba and see double and multiple taxation,” adding that nothing is happening in Abia, as every sector has been crippled”

 

He berated the present government in the state for not having the interest of the people at heart and attributed the insecurity being witnessed in the state to it.

“If one does not have a job, he is a candidate for any type of vices, whether is kidnapping or banditry, and that is why insecurity is on the increase. it is the same logic, and today, pensioners are being owed 45 months, and the other day, they were looking very tired and worn out are they marched the streets in protest.

 

He assured in his words “because we will be a government that is interested in our people finding jobs, in productivity of the GDP in our state, we will use government money to set up businesses, privatize them over time and give the management to you (ACCIMA) in this room, as you people have managed and is managing successful businesses and therefore know how to grow economy.

He asserted that he will do whatever it takes to retrieve the state from those he described as people who do not want the state to grow and pledged to fix the state when he emerges as the governor come next year.

 

On his path, the president of the union, Chief Jerry O Kalu thanked Otti for what he described as a detailed plan as contained in his manifesto for a better Abia, stated that even though the association is apolitical, they would give all the moral support needed for his gubernatorial ambition.