From TCNEWS
The Abia State Coordinator of National Anti corruption Corp of Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Crimes Commission, NAVC/ICPC Rev. Dr. Blessed Amalambu has described the one year in office of the State Governor Alex Otti as commendable but suggested that if the tempo is sustained and accelerated that Abians will have a better Abia.
Amalambu who was also the 2023 House of Assembly candidate of African Democratic Congress, ADC for Umuahia North State Constituency, who interacted with our correspondent in Umuahia, said having known the state of Abia before the emergence of Otti as governor, that Gov. Otti deserved to be praised, as he has done appreciably and notably well, within a period of one year in office.
Amalambu, the Assistant Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN Southeast region, who cited the Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Ohafia Federal road among other impassable Federal roads that cut across the state that have been/being reconstructed by the governor, also observed that the teaching hospital in Aba which was overtaken by bush, became moribund, delapidated and abandoned has also been rebuilt, overhauled, with patients admitted for treatment by qualified health personnel to the admiration of those in the opposition political parties in the state.
“In the first month on assumption of office, Gov. Otti declared a state of emergency on refuse and waste in Abia State and operation zero potholes in the entire state, which Umuahia where I live benefitted. When he said he was going to expand the Abia Tower road to a six lane road, people wondered how possible it would be since buildings and people’s lands were littered here and there, but to our admiration, he did not only duly compensated those whose structures and lands were affected but also completed the project. Such has never happened in Abia before.
“I recall when major sources of income of the citizens and residents namely Umuahia main market, Timber market and repairer/mechanic sheds were relocated by the past administrations, none of the owners of the shops demolished were compensated. Most of them died out of heartbreak, but Gov. Otti heard the heartbeat of the people and compensated them”.
While appealing to the governor to sustain the tempo and also give attention to areas that are begging for attention, Amalambu, who is also the treasurer of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN Abia State chapter, advised the governor to have a listening ear to the complaints of the state workforce and pensioners and harness their problems properly.
He advised the governor not to obtain loans that his tenure cannot offset before his office elapses. According to him, some successors might not be prudent enough to handle such loans and this will plunge and launch Abia back to the old path.
“There are certain financial institutions that runs interest free loans. Such institutions, the governor should avoid as they might be crafty. Such institutions always want to be a stakeholder in the project designed for the loan instead of asking for an interest. The governor should decode the method of such institutions and also have a wider consultation with the critical stakeholders including the faith based organizations, so that he would not mortgage Abia to a wrong hand in a bid to develop it.
“He should continue to toe the path of a wise leader who will leave office and make it less burdensome to his successor”.
Amalambu, who is also the Secretary of PFN Abia State chapter further advised the governor to shun sycophants and praise singers who contributed to the failure of the previous administrations, adding, “If he is not careful, he may be blindfolded to believe that certain things they are reporting to him are true, while they are syphoning the State’s treasury and before he wakes up, they have overfeed themselves and rise up to turn against him and Mar his administration”.
According to Amalambu, wisdom is demanded and required that the governor should be thorough in selecting those that works and that will work with him in the new Abia project.
On the unveiling of the new Abia logo, Amalambu opined that changing the logo was not a bad initiative since it is part of the overhauling process towards making Abia a centre of world attraction.