See Key Inauguration Promises Of Governor Alex Otti To Abians | READ HERE
Dr Alex Otti, OFR, of the Labour Party, was on Monday, May 29, 2023, sworn in as the 5th democratically elected governor of Abia State.
Below are key promises he made to Abians while giving his speech during the inauguration ceremony held at the Umuahia Township Stadium.
– The Deputy Governor, Engr Ikechukwu Emetu, and I, together with our team, are fully ready to bequeath to our successors a far better Abia State than the one we have inherited today.
– My major responsibility will be to ensure that the citizens and residents of Abia State, who have finally been freed from their bondage, will continue to breathe freely, and go about their daily pursuit of good quality life.
– It will be my duty to show them that there is more to life than the poverty, hunger, ignorance, disease, insecurity, and pot holes that, all these years, have become their daily realities.
– I have abiding faith in our ability to conquer the challenges of decades of poor-quality governance; stunted growth and development; deprivation, injustice and loss of self-dignity, the decades of hopelessness, anguish, and pain.
– My pledge to you today is that I will lead that charge to restore our society to greatness.
– Today, I stand before you, my good people of Abia State, to declare once again, boldly, that in line with my campaign theme, you should ‘Weep No More, Help is Here’. My task is to dry your tears and help you to rediscover who you are and lead you back to the pathway of sustainable growth, development, and prosperity.
– We pledge to offer the right support to the legislative and judicial arms of government in our shared commitment to changing the fortunes of our people.
– I promise that in the emerging dispensation, every child of Abia State must have equal opportunity to good education. Merit will be the watchword in recruitment and award of jobs. We will also be very supportive of sports and will seek to return the State to the heydays of Dick Tiger, Jerry Enyeazu, Chidi Imo, Kanu Nwankwo, Grasshoppers and Enyimba Football Club.
– I pledge to use every attribute that God has given me to serve you.
– Abians will no longer need the media to tell them what the government is doing in their communities; they will directly experience real development themselves as it occurs.
– I declare that I will use the full force of the law to apprehend and punish all those who are intent on threatening law and order in the State.
– Ours shall be a government of law and order. The right to freedom of movement as captured in our laws must be respected.
– Importantly, there shall be only one government in Abia State and that is the one you have given us the mandate to lead.
– We shall be open to sincerely engage anyone or group with reasonable grievances so as to find a satisfactory path to sustainable peace and harmony.
– within the next few days, we shall commence the payment of May 2023 salaries and pensions to all civil servants and retirees in the State.
– There shall be no more distinction between the so-called “core” and “non-core” civil servants.
– From June 2023, all salary and pension obligations of the State would be settled by the 28th of every month.
– Within the next one week, I shall set up appropriate mechanisms to ensure that all legitimate employees and retirees are identified and paid their due entitlements.
– We will rebuild our school system by making it produce better quality students that will be relevant to the needs of modern society.
– I shall, over the next one-month, work closely with my team and relevant stakeholders to design an appropriate framework that will be used to drive the recruitment of about 5,000 new teachers for our primary and secondary schools.
– Priority shall be given to young graduates with requisite qualifications in education, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subject areas and to those who are also willing to serve in rural communities.
– We shall see to it that our teachers undergo regular refresher courses to update their knowledge and teaching skills so that they will stay relevant in their chosen fields.
– under our government, teachers shall never be shabbily treated as reportedly had been the custom in the past.
– The paucity of infrastructure in our educational system shall be addressed stridently. Our children, whether in the rural or urban communities, will henceforth learn under very conducive and empowering environments.
– We will also support meritocracy in our educational system and ensure that special incentives are given to institutions across the state that promote excellence and have a history of producing high calibre students.
– We shall tackle the problem of poor welfare package for our health workers by creating a system of incentives that rewards them generously for their sacrifices and commitments to saving and nurturing lives.
– we shall begin immediately to address the challenge of poor facilities in our health institutions through steady investment in the acquisition of modern medical equipment, appropriate funding, and a robust system of partnership with well-meaning development partners.
– We shall see to it that access to health services is improved for all classes of Abians and where necessary, we shall make important recruitments to address personnel shortages.
– our government shall, within the next one month, launch a N10 billion Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises (MSME) financing scheme, which will comprise conditional business grants and low interest loans to support relevant enterprises.
– I shall, in the next one week, announce the setting up of the most suitable administrative and investment vehicles to drive the social and economic rejuvenation of Aba.
– I can assure you that we shall work with the best to fix Aba. Beyond working to retain the city’s status as a leading trade destination in Nigeria and across West Africa, we shall also do whatever is necessary to see that Aba’s manufacturing base is restored.
– Our government shall create the necessary partnerships that will expand energy options for manufacturers including liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy sources in addition to providing strategic support to the existing investors in the energy ecosystem in the city.
– Apart from Aba and Umuahia, we shall also extend development to every other part of the State.
– I am immediately declaring a state of emergency on refuse disposal and waste management in Aba and Umuahia. I am hereby directing the leadership of the state’s environmental management agency, ASEPA to roll out everything at its disposal and see that all refuse heaps within these two cities are promptly evacuated.
– I am announcing the setting up of a cabinet level position within the Governor’s Office to drive our ‘Ease of Doing Business’ agenda.
– I shall also appoint a Special Adviser on ICT to drive our programmes in the technology ecosystem
– We shall prioritise civil service reforms for efficiency and professionalism.
– We shall soon be reviewing the structure of the State’s workforce to determine how we can reform it for optimal productivity.
– There shall be no room for corrupt practices and the full weight of the law shall be deployed in tackling all cases of indiscipline or any act that brings the service into disrepute.
– We shall be reviewing some of the most recent appointments and promotions made by the previous administration to ensure that persons recruited and promoted have the relevant qualifications and are suitably deployed.
– We shall in time address the challenge of ghost workers by deploying appropriate technology systems to determine those who had been genuinely employed and those who are actively stealing from the public treasury.
– Within the next few days, I shall create the office of the Ombudsman, which will handle all public complaints.
– As Governor, I will regularly interface with you through different media channels and in town hall settings. You shall always know the truth and what the government is doing at all times to make things better for you, your family and your business.
– Transparency, accountability, and public trust shall be at the centre of everything we do. We will run a responsible and honest government and lead by example. We will not tolerate any form of corruption or stealing of public property. Gratification and kickbacks are totally forbidden in this government.
– for me, awards, honours and recognitions are not welcome until I leave office. Put diffently, any awards, titles, recognitions or the like that I did not receive before now should wait until we leave office.
