Otti Strikes Back: Critics Exposed for Metaphorical Smoke, Not Fire
In the noisy marketplace of Nigerian politics, where sensationalism often substitutes for substance, Governor Alex Otti stands unshaken on the firm ground of verifiable data. While his detractors weave fables of fiscal misconduct, the truth sits calmly in the public domain — on the Abia State official website, where citizens can freely access the 2024 Approved Budget, the Citizens’ Budget, and detailed Quarterly Performance Reports outlining revenue inflows, disbursements, and project execution. Those who demand that the governor “show the books” simply expose their own ignorance — the books are open, posted, and waiting for them to read.
From Spectacle to Substance
The governor’s critics are trapped in the theatre of propaganda, orchestrating daily press stunts to distract from their own failures. Their accusations come without a single line item, payment voucher, or auditor’s signature. What Abians see instead is a government that clears arrears exceeding ₦40 billion, grows IGR to ₦15.5 billion in six months, and installs an Economic Management Team to professionalize fiscal policy. These are not press gimmicks — they are measurable reforms, verified through accessible data.
Expose or Retreat
Enough of the rhetorical fireworks. If the opposition has evidence of missing funds, let them publish audit trails with contract codes, payment references, and proof of diversion. Empty accusations are not activism; they are sabotage disguised as scrutiny. Abia has evolved beyond the age of fabricated outrage. Its people now measure leaders by data, not by decibels.
Deputy Speaker, the Country Is Bleeding — Unravel the Real Rot, Not Manufactured Drama
It is time Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu redirected his spotlight. Nigeria groans daily under the weight of national decay: oil theft, subsidy scams, revenue leakages, and institutional corruption that drains the treasury before one kobo reaches the states. These are the cancers that deserve his legislative inquest.
Instead of vilifying Governor Otti — a reformist whose fiscal records are transparent and whose government welcomes scrutiny — the Deputy Speaker should deploy his national influence to expose the federal rot killing Nigerians. Let him probe the vanished trillions in fuel subsidy claims, the ghost projects scattered across ministries, and the opaque revenue-sharing formulas that starve states while enriching a few.
Abia’s finances are public, its projects traceable, its budget documents online. The true shadows lie elsewhere — in the corridors of national governance where accountability evaporates into political patronage.
History will not be kind to those who traded oversight for opportunism. It will remember who faced the truth and who fled into theatrics. In Abia, the record is clear; the evidence is public. Those who seek chaos can scream. Those who seek truth should read.
AProf Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke
