…Restates commitment to governance
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, has disclosed that he has issued over 10, 562 Certificates of Occupancy (C of O), since he came to power in May 2023.
Otti who made the disclosure during a media parley in Umuahia, said he would continue to give attention to governance and not be distracted by attention- seeking individuals camouflaging as opposition.
He explained that the number of C of Os he issued within two and half years of superintending over the affairs of the state, had surpassed the total number released in over 10 years.
“We have rolled out, a policy of issuing Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) in 30 days. As of yesterday, we have issued about 10,562 C of Os in the two years and a half, that we have been in charge.
“The whole idea is to inject value into the system. We have automated the process. As soon as it gets to me, it’s easy to sign and send it back.
Vowing to sustain his developmental strides, Otti expressed confidence that his works would speak for him in 2027.
Otti said he was not opposed to criticisms especially when they are constructive, adding that he also welcomes advice.
He, however, regretted that some of his opponents, out of desperation for power, had resorted to malicious propaganda against his administration, but said they would have difficulty because the people already see his achievements.
“We will continue to pay attention to governance. And governance is key. We will continue with our efforts for developmental revolution. What we are doing has started yielding positive fruits.”
Otti noted that under his watch, Abia had been receiving positive ratings in many sectors as a result of the efforts of his administration to transform the state.
“Just few days ago, out of the 36 states and Abuja, Abia emerged the most prepared state to deal with medical emergencies.”
The Governor hinted that before the end of December the electric buses he procured for intra-state mass transit would begin operation.
“Our transport revolution is being rolled out. Before the end of the year, the electric buses that have started arriving in the state will be put on the road and that will further crash the cost of transportation in the state.
“We will also pursue aggressive construction and reconstruction of roads. We have given mandate to contractors and the direct labour agency to ensure that a lot of the jobs are completed before the end of this dry season.
“Construction work which slowed down at some point, has resumed with speed. We will continue to give attention to our contractors pushing the infrastructural development of the state.
ABCETA regains accreditation
“I am happy to report that the College of Education Technical, Arochukwu, which lost accreditation a few years ago, this afternoon, about 84 courses in the college were accredited.
“So we are now ready to run the way we plan to run the College. If you visit there recently, you would have seen the massive work going on, both on the roofs, and lecture theatres and classrooms. And the whole idea is to make it a home for proper training of our teachers.”
He also promised to continue with the ongoing revolutions at the Abia University Uturu, ABSU, as well as the Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic Aba, expressing delight that students of Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic Aba are the ones fabricating the waste bin buckets being used by the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA.
He commended ASEPA for keeping the state clean, saying that Abia now ranks among the cleanest states in the country.
The Governor promised that Abia residents would enjoy more stable power supply in the months ahead as the process of acquiring the distribution network in the remaining eight Local Government Areas outside Aba ringed area, was almost completed.
“When this is done, we can feed excess power from Aba Power Plant into Umuahia, so we can also enjoy an unparalleled power supply in the rest of the state.”
