Columns/Opinions/Letters

OTTI: WHEN GOOD GOVERNANCE MAKES A LEADER A “CULT FIGURE” By Casmir Echebiri I have been to Aba two times this 2026. On both occasions I was told something that tickled me and also made me think. I visited the city to print some T-shirts on those occasions for one of my friends aspiring for a political office from the ruling APC. After the printer had finished printing on the first day, I donned one of shirts, trying to see if he did a good job. After wearing it and was critiquing it, with my brother who resides in Aba…

THE CAREER POLITICIAN’S DILEMMA: WHEN SUPPORT FOR OTTI BECOMES DEVELOPMENT CAPITAL There is a quiet but very important conversation going on in Abia politics today. It is not always said openly, but it is whispered in political circles, community meetings, private phone calls, party gatherings and village discussions. Some career politicians are asking: “We supported this government. What have we benefited?” On the surface, the question sounds familiar. In Nigerian politics, it is almost a standard expectation. A politician supports a candidate, spends money, mobilizes voters, attends meetings, prints banners, fuels vehicles, feeds supporters, protects polling units, and after victory,…

WETIN CONCERN ME? TECHRISE SERIES AND THE COMMON MAN ON THE STREET By Prof. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke There is a question that rises from the street whenever government announces a programme with big English, big banners, big ceremonies and big promises. It is not always asked in anger. Sometimes, it is asked in confusion. Sometimes, it is asked in poverty. Sometimes, it is asked from the mind of a young man who has searched for work until his shoes have become tired. Sometimes, it is asked by a woman in the market who does not hate technology but simply does…

WHEN ARITHMETIC CATCHES FEVER, PROPAGANDA CALLS IT ACCOUNTABILITY Some people now wake up, invent their own road-cost formula, divide public expenditure by fantasy kilometres, and call the result “facts.” Wonderful. So because someone wrote ₦250 billion, he has suddenly become the World Bank, Julius Berger, Ministry of Works, quantity surveyor, civil engineer and asphalt prophet in one Facebook post. He says ₦250 billion “should have delivered 250km of virgin roads.” According to who? According to TikTok engineering? According to beer-parlour procurement mathematics? According to the same people who watched Abia roads collapse for years and suddenly discovered “international standard” after…

THE BRIDGE OF HOPE: LINKING TWO STATES, TWO DESTINIES AND TWO ECONOMIC FUTURES A bridge is never just a bridge. In the life of a community, a bridge is memory, movement, market, family, security, livelihood and hope. It is the quiet infrastructure that allows a farmer to reach the market, a trader to reach customers, a child to reach school, a patient to reach care, a family to remain connected, and an economy to breathe. This is why the bridge linking the Arochukwu axis of Abia State to Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State must be understood beyond…

A PANORAMIC SERIES ON THE NEW ABIA GOVERNMENT @3: The Rise and Rise of God's Own State. By Engr. Chief Odo Ijere Light eventually came at the end of the tunnel for Abia State with the inauguration on the 29th of May, 2023, of Governor Dr. Alex Otti of Labor Party. A combination of factors and political coalition across the state played out during the election to outplay and overwhelm the incumbent PDP government in the state. The political tsunami during the election occasioned by the Obidients, the civil servants, market women, civil society organizations, social media roller-coaster, youth and…

HAS ABIA REALLY IMPROVED UNDER GOVERNOR ALEX OTTI? The answer is YES — and the evidence is visible. GOVERNOR ALEX OTTI’S 3-YEAR PERFORMANCE SCORECARDMAY 2023 – MAY 2026 OVERALL RATING: VERY GOODSCORE: 85% ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE — VERY GOODGovernor Otti has completed 414 road projects covering about 864.12km across Abia State, with another 82 roads of about 212km under construction. This is not propaganda; it is measurable infrastructure. 0 HEALTHCARE — VERY GOODThe administration recruited 821 healthcare professionals, with 771 already deployed, while 277 primary healthcare centres have been retrofitted, including 121 already functionalised. Over 93,000 residents have also enrolled in…

Odinkalu: 'Otti Has Restored Dignity, Hope and Trust in Governance' By Ebere Uzoukwa, PhD When renowned human rights lawyer, activist and former Chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, declared on Thursday, 28th May, 2026, that Governor Alex Otti’s leadership should serve as a reference point for governance in Nigeria, he was acknowledging what many now describe as the rebirth of Abia State. Speaking at the Abia Anniversary Lecture held at the International Conference Centre, Ogurube, Umuahia, Prof. Odinkalu noted that Governor Otti restored legitimacy, dignity, hope and public trust in governance after years of what he…