Good Governance

Dec
22
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
How Governor Otti Is Institutionalizing Technology In Abia Civil Service – By Ebere Uzoukwa Ph.D (SSA To Governor Otti On Public Affairs)

How Governor Otti Is Institutionalizing Technology In Abia Civil Service – By Ebere Uzoukwa Ph.D (SSA To Governor Otti On Public Affairs)

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Education, Good Governance
How Governor Otti is Institutionalizing Technology in Abia Civil Service By Ebere Uzoukwa, PhD Governor Alex Chioma Otti’s administration is steadily redefining public service delivery in Abia State by deliberately institutionalizing technology within the civil service. This strategy goes beyond the adoption of digital tools; it reflects a comprehensive governance philosophy that places human capital development, meritocracy, and technological innovation at the core of state administration. The recent automatic employment of 50 outstanding graduates of TechRise Cohort 2 into relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Abia State Civil Service is a practical demonstration of this vision in action. At…
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Dec
22
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Governor Otti, Due Process, And The Abia Airport Claim: Why Law, Not Noise, Defines Accountability – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Governor Otti, Due Process, And The Abia Airport Claim: Why Law, Not Noise, Defines Accountability – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance
GOVERNOR OTTI, DUE PROCESS, AND THE ABIA AIRPORT CLAIM: WHY LAW, NOT NOISE, DEFINES ACCOUNTABILITY Public debate around the alleged ₦10 billion Abia Airport expenditure has too often been framed as a “media trial.” That framing misses a crucial point: governments do not prosecute by press conference; they prosecute by evidence, audits, and due process. Since assuming office in May 2023, Governor Alex Otti has repeatedly stated that his administration would audit first, recover next, and prosecute last—in that order. This sequence aligns with Nigerian law and international best practice.Audits Before Arrests: What the Law RequiresUnder Nigeria’s legal framework, criminal…
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Dec
21
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Courts And Criticism: Why Abia’s Democratic Space Is Not Being ‘Shut Down’ – But Being Defined By Law – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Courts And Criticism: Why Abia’s Democratic Space Is Not Being ‘Shut Down’ – But Being Defined By Law – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance, Human Rights, Politics
COURTS AND CRITICISM: WHY ABIA’S DEMOCRATIC SPACE IS NOT BEING ‘SHUT DOWN’—but BEING DEFINED BY LAW In any constitutional democracy, citizens have the unequivocal right to question the use of public funds, project execution, and governance decisions. But rights have limits; freedoms must be exercised responsibly, and democracies do not collapse because individuals are held to account for demonstrably defamatory conduct. Recent commentary alleging Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and human-rights abuse in Abia State under Governor Alex C. Otti, however earnest in tone, mischaracterises legal norms and misunderstands both the facts of the N100 bn defamation suit and…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Courts, Criticism, And Accountability In Abia: Defending Democracy, Not Silencing It – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Courts, Criticism, And Accountability In Abia: Defending Democracy, Not Silencing It – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance, Judiciary, Politics
COURTS, CRITICISM, AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN ABIA: DEFENDING DEMOCRACY, NOT SILENCING IT In every constitutional democracy, courts exist to protect rights, restrain excesses, and provide neutral forums for resolving disputes. When citizens ask hard questions about governance, they should never face intimidation—but equally, public office holders have every right to protect their reputations under the law when falsehoods cross into defamation. In Abia State, the recent N100bn defamation suit filed by Governor Alex Chioma Otti does not signal a crackdown on dissent; it underscores a deeper, under-reported truth: democracy requires both scrutiny and restraint. On December 18, 2025, a Federal Capital…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
When Accountability Meets Courtrooms: The Alex Otti Defamation Suit And The Health Of Abia Political Discourse – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

When Accountability Meets Courtrooms: The Alex Otti Defamation Suit And The Health Of Abia Political Discourse – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance
WHEN ACCOUNTABILITY MEETS COURTROOMS: THE ALEX OTTI DEFAMATION SUIT AND THE HEALTH OF ABIA POLITICAL DISCOURSE Abia State may be in the midst of an unprecedented political transformation, but its public discourse is also facing a test: whether vigorous debate about governance can coexist with civility and evidence-based scrutiny. The recent interlocutory injunction granted by a Federal Capital Territory High Court restraining a former Abia Commissioner of Information, Barr. Eze Chikamnayo, from publishing defamatory content against Governor Alex Chioma Otti is not merely a legal skirmish. It is a mirror reflecting the broader struggle between accountability and abuse, fact and…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Between Scrutiny And Slander: Why Accountability Questions In Abia Must Rest On Evidence – And Why Governor Otti’s Records Stands – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Between Scrutiny And Slander: Why Accountability Questions In Abia Must Rest On Evidence – And Why Governor Otti’s Records Stands – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Columns/Opinions/Letters, Abia State, Good Governance
BETWEEN SCRUTINY AND SLANDER: WHY ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS IN ABIA MUST REST ON EVIDENCE—AND WHY GOVERNOR OTTI’S RECORD STANDS Democracy thrives on scrutiny, but it survives on evidence. In Abia State today, the loudest accusations against Governor Alex Otti often substitute insinuation for proof, and rhetoric for records. That is not accountability; it is slander by repetition. Genuine oversight requires facts—budgets, audits, timelines, and project sites that can be visited, verified, and evaluated. By that standard, the Otti administration’s record deserves a fair hearing grounded in public data, not conjecture. Nigeria’s accountability architecture is explicit. The 1999 Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Why Abia Politics Is Changing – And Why Accountability Is No Longer Optional Under Alex Otti – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Why Abia Politics Is Changing – And Why Accountability Is No Longer Optional Under Alex Otti – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance
WHY ABIA POLITICS IS CHANGING — AND WHY ACCOUNTABILITY IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL UNDER ALEX OTTI In every reform cycle, resistance follows reform. History shows that when entrenched systems of patronage and impunity begin to crack, the loudest reaction often comes not from evidence but from emotion. What is playing out in Abia State today fits a familiar global pattern: governance reforms provoke discomfort among political actors accustomed to opacity, while citizens unused to data-driven leadership struggle to recalibrate expectations. Contrary to the claim that accountability has collapsed under Governor Alex C. Otti, available evidence suggests the opposite. Abia has,…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Global Tides, Local Choices: How International Governance Shifts Are Shaping Abia’s Development Path – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Global Tides, Local Choices: How International Governance Shifts Are Shaping Abia’s Development Path – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance
GLOBAL TIDES, LOCAL CHOICES: HOW INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE SHIFTS ARE SHAPING ABIA’S DEVELOPMENT PATH The world is in the middle of a quiet but consequential governance reset. From fiscal reforms in emerging economies to renewed global focus on inequality, health systems, and security, governments are being forced to rethink how states plan, spend, and protect their citizens. These global shifts are no longer abstract conversations in Washington, Geneva, or New York. They are landing directly in sub-national spaces like Abia State, where policy choices now intersect with international development logic more than at any point in the past two decades. Nigeria…
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Dec
18
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Abia’s Star Paper Mill Not Publicity Stunt, Followed AMCON Due Process – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia’s Star Paper Mill Not Publicity Stunt, Followed AMCON Due Process – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Business, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance
Abia's Star Paper Mill The critique by Eke O. Ako presents itself as a technical interrogation, but a closer reading reveals that it conflates unanswered public curiosity with absence of due diligence, and substitutes speculation for evidence. In public-sector investment, particularly asset recovery from insolvency managers such as AMCON, the absence of a publicly released white paper does not equate to the absence of technical, financial, or legal work. In fact, AMCON’s entire statutory mandate under the AMCON Act of 2010 requires valuation, asset integrity assessment, creditor resolution, and risk containment before any transfer of distressed assets can occur. The…
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Dec
17
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Two Long-Term Roadmaps, Two Governance Philosophies: What Abia Learned From Ikpeazu’s Plan – And Why Otti’s 25-Year Strategy Is Structurally Different- By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Two Long-Term Roadmaps, Two Governance Philosophies: What Abia Learned From Ikpeazu’s Plan – And Why Otti’s 25-Year Strategy Is Structurally Different- By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance, Politics
TWO LONG-TERM ROADMAPS, TWO GOVERNANCE PHILOSOPHIES: WHAT ABIA LEARNED FROM IKPEAZU’S PLAN — AND WHY OTTI’S 25-YEAR STRATEGY IS STRUCTURALLY DIFFERENT Long-term development plans are not unusual in governance. What distinguishes success from failure is not the length of the document, the cost of consultants, or the beauty of launch ceremonies, but whether the plan is institutionally embedded, legally binding, fiscally aligned, and execution-driven. Abia State has now witnessed two such long-horizon plans within a short span, and the comparison raises legitimate questions that deserve answers rooted in facts, not sentiment. In 2017–2018, the Abia State Government under Governor Okezie…
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