Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Barely one month after setting up his Transition Council, Abia Governor-Elect, Dr. Alex Otti has received the report of the Council.
Speaking while receiving the report in his Isiala Ngwa South country home, Otti declared that his Inauguration on May 29 “is sacrosanct.”
He urged Abians to disregard any rumour to the contrary, insisting that the mandate given to him by the people of Abia cannot be stolen by anti-democratic forces no matter their strategies.
Otti described his purported sack by a Kano court as baseless and the antics of his detractors, who he said had failed woefully.
He said his legal team was already dealing with the situation, adding that his focus at the moment is how to hit the ground running once sworn into office.
“My lawyers are doing something about it, I can assure you, but I don’t think it’s something to worry about. However, eternal vigilance is what is required, when you have enemies around you.
“So, I want to reassure you that the mandate that Abia people gave us is sacrosanct. Nobody should lose sleep. We will be sworn in on the 29th of May, and we will complete our four years and we will seek the renewal of the mandate and I can assure you that Abia people will renew the mandate and we will do another four years and Abia people will be happy and all these are by the grace of God.”
He, however, thanked the council for its swiftness in delivering its assignment, saying it has made his job so easy.
The 101-member Council is led by the Managing Director of PWC, Mr. Victor Onyenkpa and former Executive Chairman of Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Mrs. Ifueko Omogui-Okauru.
“On listening to the presentation of the Chairman, I will say that this job has been made very easy by the job that you have done. Granted some of the things that you have recommended are things that we have talked about, but a lot of them are also things that are new. And even the things that we have talked about, you have brought in a sharper relief and focus. So, it becomes easier to implement. I must say thank you to all of you.
“I want to thank you for the energy, I want to thank you for the time you put into this. I want to thank you for doing a job without pay. I do know how important your time is. You can rest assured that we are not going to take lightly the efforts you have put into this.
“You will also be very proud, I can assure you, that the recommendations that you have made will be implemented,” he assured.
On his plans to create a Ministry dedicated to the development of Aba, Otti said he would look at the nomenclature again, in line with the recommendation of the council to redesignate it for the fear that a ministry with its bureaucratic bottlenecks may vitiate the laudable objective of the Aba renewal agenda.
“When we talk about disruption, when we talk about digital economy, when we talk about Aba, and I agree with you when you say, may be the creation of a Ministry is not the solution, we’ll go and look at it again. The reality is that I want an agency that will report directly to me, that is in charge of Aba.
“So, if calling it a Ministry will take away from what we want to achieve, we can call it anything and if the Ministry with all its bureaucracy can be a problem, I can be a Commissioner in charge of Aba.”
Otti promised to restructure the council and retain it for the period he will be Governor of Abia State.
“I will like to say, on the final note, that this Committee will not be dissolved. This Committee remains a Standing Committee. The only thing that will change is its name.”
