Columns/Opinions/Letters

OTTI’S GRATUITY PAYMENT: LET US DEBATE THE FACTS, NOT OPPOSITIONIZE BASIC ARITHMETIC I have read the latest attack on Governor Alex Otti over the commencement of gratuity payments in Abia State. Accountability is necessary. Opposition is legitimate. But figures must be interpreted correctly. You cannot demand accountability while simultaneously abusing percentages, treating capital expenditure as missing money and pretending that visible public projects do not exist. Let us interrogate the claims one after another. ₦7.2 BILLION IS NOT BEING PRESENTED AS THE ENTIRE ₦61.8 BILLION LIABILITY The Abia State Government itself disclosed the total gratuity liability of approximately ₦61.8 billion.…

A Historic Day Dawns in Obingwa Ebere Uzoukwa, PhD Today, Tuesday, August 25, 2026, will go down as a significant day in the history of Obingwa Local Government Area as the Executive Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, officially commissions the newly constructed and fully equipped Obingwa General Hospital, Mgboko. The facility is one of the new General Hospitals delivered by the Otti administration as part of its broader commitment to rebuilding the state’s healthcare infrastructure and providing residents with access to quality and modern healthcare services. Governor Otti will be joined at the commissioning…

MOCKERY IS CHEAP. NUMBERS, PROJECTS AND CONTEXT ARE HARDER. This latest collage is actually hilarious. On the left, somebody is apparently standing in mud at an event. On the right, there is a publicity graphic celebrating robotic-assisted surgery in Imo State. Then underneath comes the triumphant conclusion: “We are waiting.” Waiting for what exactly — for Governor Otti to perform robotic surgery on a pothole? Let us congratulate Imo State where congratulations are deserved. Reports confirm that Imo Specialist Hospital recorded its first robotic-assisted surgery on 21 August 2026. That is a significant healthcare achievement, and serious people should applaud…

FAAC, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE ABIA EXCEPTION Why the Evidence Requires Abia and Governor Alex Otti to Be Assessed Differently The debate generated by reports of sharply increased Federation Account Allocation Committee receipts since the removal of petrol subsidy is legitimate. State governments must account for the additional fiscal resources available to them. But the scientifically appropriate question is not simply: “How much FAAC did a state receive?” The better question is: What measurable public assets, services and improvements did the state produce with the resources available to it? When that test is applied specifically to Abia State, there is…

LET US NOT “OPPOSITIONIZE” THE TRUTH I am honestly shocked by the argument that we should somehow be embarrassed to acknowledge roads, schools, hospitals, electricity and water as evidence of performance. Where exactly was Governor Alex Otti supposed to start from—the moon, the sun, artificial intelligence laboratories or interplanetary exploration? Development does not begin in the clouds. It begins from the condition a government inherits. The uncomfortable truth is that Otti inherited a state whose basic foundations had deteriorated badly. Roads that should ordinarily have been routine public infrastructure had become symbols of abandonment. Public institutions required rebuilding, communities needed…

ABIA AIRPORT AND THE POLITICS OF HALF-TRUTHS: WHAT THE PUBLIC RECORD ACTUALLY SAYS There is nothing wrong with criticising Governor Alex Otti. There is nothing wrong with interrogating the Abia Airport project, questioning its cost, examining the acquisition of land at Nsulu, demanding compensation for affected landowners, or asking whether government is obtaining value for money. What is wrong is criticism built by removing inconvenient parts of the public record and presenting the remainder as the whole truth. That distinction has become important following claims circulated by Mr Obinna Oriaku concerning the Abia Airport project. His central proposition is simple:…

EKE O. AKO: WHEN ONE FAMILY HOLIDAY BECOMES AN “ABIA DEVELOPMENT INDEX” 😂 Engr. Eke O. Ako, this latest intervention deserves attention—not because it is a rigorous assessment of Abia State, but because it is an almost perfect example of how one man’s personal experience can be dressed up as statewide development analysis. You brought your children home, travelled from Abuja to your village, observed conditions around your immediate community, and from that family experience effectively pronounced judgment on Abia. Very emotional. Very touching. But, sir, A FAMILY CHRISTMAS VISIT IS NOT A DEVELOPMENT SURVEY. 😂 You are publicly identified…

One Roofer, One Photograph, One Sweeping Verdict: How a PHC Renovation Was Turned into “Evidence loof Fraud” The latest photograph being circulated as supposed proof that the Abia State Government merely “repainted” Primary Healthcare Centres is a good illustration of how a limited visual can be stretched into a sweeping political conclusion. The photograph shows a building undergoing roof work. That is all the photograph proves. It does not show the identity of the facility, the original condition of the building, the full scope of the contract, the internal works carried out, the equipment supplied, the plumbing or electrical rehabilitation,…

Abia @35: Redefining the Future of God’s Own State with Thanksgiving By Ebere Uzoukwa, PhD As Abia State marks its 35th anniversary, the decision by the State Government to commence the celebrations with an Interdenominational Service is not only appropriate but deeply significant. It provides Abians an opportunity to pause, reflect on the journey of the state, give thanks to God for His grace and seek divine guidance as the state advances towards a brighter future. The service, scheduled for Sunday, August 23, 2026, at the Okpara Square Event Centre in Umuahia, offers a fitting platform for collective thanksgiving and…

Abia TechRise: How Otti Is Equipping Young People For The Future By Ebere Uzoukwa, PhD The graduation of the third cohort of the TechRise ICT Skills Development Programme has further demonstrated Governor Alex Otti’s deliberate strategy of preparing Abia’s young people for an increasingly technology driven global economy. Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Umuahia on Friday, August 21, 2026, Governor Otti described the future as the product of today’s choices, investments and preparations, making a compelling case for why Abia must invest in knowledge and technological skills rather than wait for the disruptions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to…