Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Governor Alex Otti has disclosed that his administration had procured new equipment for re-accreditation of the Abia State University Medical College which was de-accredited two years ago under the watch of ex-Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Otti who made the disclosure during a media parley in Umuahia, said his administration was working assiduously to restore the glory days of the university.
“You know that the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, ABSUTH, lost accreditation before now. But we are investing so much to get the school back to shape.
“We are retrofitting ABSU. New equipment that we procured are being brought in. Very soon the regulatory body for the accreditation of Medical College will be visiting the school, and we are very optimistic that the lost accreditation will be restored.”
On the Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up by his administration for the recovery of Government property, Otti said that the panel’s preliminary report would be ready by next week.
He said that he would not hesitate to implement the recommendations of the panel “no matter whose ox is gored.”
“The panel has told me its report will be ready next week, and when we receive it, we won’t be afraid to do the right thing.”
Otti also vowed to probe contractors who collected money from the previous Government but failed to execute job commensurate to what they collected.
“We know that a lot of rural roads are in bad condition but we want to tackle the major urban roads with economic importance. When we are done, we will then face the rural areas.
“But in some of the roads, money has been collected over and above the level of work done.
“The contractors will have to answer questions but we are just new and don’t want to begin to quarrel with old contractors.”
Otti who said the state had over-bloated civil servants, disclosed that he had directed that some redundant ones be redeployed to other areas of need including teaching in schools.
“We have too many people in the civil service. The verification we did revealed a lot of things. We have humongous civil servants and I can’t find what some of them are actually doing.
“I have directed the Chief of Staff to redeploy 235 from the Government House but there are more. Those who have capacity to teach will be sent to schools to help out.”
Otti said that the state government under his watch had started paying its counterpart funding, adding that some donor agencies that left the state before now, had started coming back.
