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Abia at 33: Looking to the Future with Boundless Optimism …..

Published

2 years ago

August 27, 2024

csunews

Being the text of governor Alex Otti’s to mark the 33rd anniversary of the creation of Abia state on Tuesday August 27, 2024.

Abia state was created on the 27th of August, 1991 and has since had it’s losses and triumphs.

For two consecutive anniversaries, the government has not had any events to mark the day.

Governor Otti on this day goes down memory lane, eulogises sons and daughters of the state and promises better days in his anniversary message to the masses.

Below is the text of his 2024 anniversary message.

1. Fellow Abians, brothers and sisters, friends, well-wishers and lovers of our great State, I bring you warm felicitations on this historic day as we celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the creation of our State. Let me begin by expressing the collective gratitude of our people to the Almighty God for preserving our lives to witness the joy of this very important day in our history, and for bringing us to a new epoch as we continue the lifelong commitment of creating a better society for ourselves, and those coming after us, building on the heroic sacrifices of the brave men and women who came before us.

2. Abia is christened God’s Own State for a reason. Events of the last 33 years have amply demonstrated that the people who occupy this land, have a special place in the Creator’s agenda, we are His people, He is our God and we do not take this privilege for granted. We have been led by God through what has been a long and interesting journey, passing from military administrators to democratically elected governors. May I, on behalf of the good people of Abia State, acknowledge and appreciate our past leaders for their diverse contributions to the political, economic and social development of our dear State. Individually and collectively, they contributed in very unique ways to the growth and transformation of our communities, touched lives, and made Abia an important place in the larger geographical reality called Nigeria.

3. This State was conceived in great hope — an understanding that an enterprising and diligent people, defined for ages by a firmly resilient disposition to life, deserve the freedom to chart the course of their destiny in a new community of dreamers, doers and self-starters. Beyond the gift of great men and women which has been bestowed on us in abundance, we also have very important foundational advantages including large expanse of fertile land to support our agricultural enterprises, vast supply of mineral resources, well known markets that reflect our historical interests in trade and commerce, and rich cultural practices which have been preserved for generations to constantly point us to our history, and values.

4. It has been 33 years of mixed harvests of good and the not-so-good. At any rate, the significance of today’s event is in the opportunity it provides for collective reflection; to evaluate the long journey we have made and ask a few soul-searching questions. This is also the best time to envision where we want to be in the next few decades and make a firm resolution to play our parts as citizens and leaders in diverse fields of calling to make the dream of a beautiful future a reality through the commitment we bring to our daily endeavours.

5. We have been presented with a new opportunity to dream bigger, start better and advance farther on the strength of knowledge gained from past experiences. On the basis of what we have learnt in the last 33 years, it is now taken for granted that it is up to us, the present generation of Ndi Abia, to work diligently to actualise the dreams and vision that inspired our fathers to fight for the creation of this State, set the foundation for its greatness and leave us good references in peaceful co-existence. It is now up to us to take up the challenge and contribute more than ever before to build a new, and just society.

6. As a government, we are continuing to expand the frontiers of opportunities for ordinary men and women in pursuit of the vision of the founding fathers of our great State. Through our infrastructure restoration and expansion projects in rural and urban communities, new corridors of opportunities are being created in agriculture and allied industries, retail trade, transportation, petroleum and solid mineral exploration, and so much more. Our economic development agenda is firmed on the creation of jobs, and alleviation of poverty.

7. A New Abia is being built and you, the people, are the architects, providing very critical support and direction to ensure that what we have committed to are being done, that the resources of the State are rightly channelled to meet the needs of the majority. Our development framework is comprehensive which explains why we are not just building new layers of physical infrastructure; we are also improving access to social services through sustained investments in the resuscitation of healthcare facilities and schools. Additionally, communities that were previously held hostage by criminal gangs have been liberated on the strength of our commitment to making Abia a truly safe destination for residents and businesses.

8. My promise is that we shall not rest on our oars. We shall continue to work very hard to fulfil the promises that won us your trust. We acknowledge that things have not gone according to plan following unanticipated economic headwinds which have made planning very difficult for families, businesses and also for the government. Even then, we must refuse to give in to despair because this present storm shall definitely pass.

9. We should go out today and always with our heads held high like our ancestors. We are the scions of brave men and women, our parents and grandparents lived through wars and famine yet, they did not stop dreaming. They were set apart by the power of optimism. As a people, this is the best time to look beyond the present circumstances and count our many blessings. May we take great pride in what we have achieved as a people in the last 33 years of daring and believing, of winning against the odds, and then step into the future with courage, certain that our victory will come. Abia, as we promised, shall be great in our lifetime because we know we have what it takes to do it and we shall do it, for ourselves, and for our children.

10. Thank you for listening, happy 33rd anniversary and may God bless Abia State.

Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR

Governor, Abia State.

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Video – MOUAU VC, SPEAKS ON NELFUND, PLANS TO DEVELOP UNI

Published

3 months ago

July 24, 2026

csunews

Stephanie Clems, Umuahia

The vice chancellor of Michael Okpara university of Agriculture, Prof. Ursula Akanwa has explained circumstances surrounding the directive to refund students who made payments before release of their loans by federal government.

Watch:

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Governor Otti orders immediate removal of bottlenecks stalling NYSC allowance implementation

Published

4 months ago

July 15, 2026

csunews

By Editor, Umuahia

The Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has directed the immediate removal of administrative bottlenecks delaying the implementation of the approved allowances of the members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Abia State.

Governor Otti gave the directive in his office, on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, while receiving a delegation of the new state coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. Yunusa Tanimu.

Governor Otti, who expressed surprise that the payment has not started, noted that he had approved the payment and made adequate provisions for its payment, and directed the commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, who was present at the visit to liaise with the Head of Service and ensure immediate implementation.

” I am surprised that the extra allowance that I approved had not been implemented. I am surprised about that.

“Please, can you (Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development) ensure that whatever it is, it has to be dealt with immediately.

“Because the last time, I was told, it’s about BVN, and I’m sure I tried to solve it. So, if there is any other problem, please, can you get the Head of Service to solve it?

“So, I already have given the approval, and we have made provisions for it. So, if it’s not been implemented, it’s of no use to us. It’s already provided for.

“So I’m surprised to hear that it hasn’t been done. I knew about the time when we argued about BVN, and I stepped in and resolved it.
“That was before you (new State Coordinator) came,” Gov. Otti stated.

The Governor, while thanking the State Coordinator for identifying with him, and for seeing himself as an Abia indigene, noted that anyone who lives and does business in Abia state is regarded as an indigene of the state as there is no state of origin in Abia State under his administration.

“So, I want to welcome you, and assure you that this State is happy to have you. You can feel free, and go anywhere. Our people are hospitable people, and we love visitors too,” he said.

The Governor, appreciated the contributions of the NYSC members to the success of his government, adding that, “they are teaching in schools or in their hospitals. And we believe that whatever we can do to make their stay comfortable, we will do.

Earlier in his address, the new state coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) , Alhaji Yanusa Tanimu said he came to familiarise with the Governor having assumed duty.

Alhaji Tanimu appealed for the full and expeditious implementation of the state allowance approved for corps members in Abia State .

He congratulated the Governor, on his numerous accomplishments in the state, especially in the areas of infrastructural development as well as other policies and projects that are geared towards advancing the economic prosperity, peace and stability of the State.

“I am pleased to place on record the fact that NYSC is a beneficiary of the people-oriented strides of the Abia State Government under your purposeful leadership.

“Today, I stand here to once again express our profound gratitude for the following remarkable gestures: comprehensive renovation of corps members’ hostels and multi-purpose hall at the NYSC permanent orientation camp, Umunna, construction of internal roads in the camp, provision of solar-powered street lights in the camp, approval of funds for the augmentation of corps members’ feeding, fueling of power generators and other logistics for the conduct of orientation courses, approval of enhanced allowance for corps members serving in the state and provision of new office accommodation for the NYSC secretariat in the state capital.

“In addition, we have been reliably informed that His Excellency has approved funds for the supply of furniture to the new office,” Alhaji Tanimu said.

He assured the Governor that, NYSC remains committed to contributing to the progress and development of Abia State and Nigeria.

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Abia governance: Catholic church honours governor Otti as he assures of total recovery of commercial city

Published

4 months ago

June 19, 2026

csunews

Stephanie Clems, Umuahia

The Catholic Diocese of Aba has celebrated and honoured the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti for his empatheticand humane disposition in leadership.

The church during a special Sunday Mass at Christ the King Catholic Church, CKC, Aba, on Sunday, June 14, 2026 openly extolled the feats of the governor since assuming office in 2023.

Delivering his homily, the bishop of Aba Diocese, Most Rev. Professor Augustine Echema, said leadership and power must be about the people.

Taking his text from Matthew 9:36, he noted that the Lord Jesus Christ was moved with compassion for the crowd because their leadership had failed them.

He likened governor Otti to a leader with passion and pity for Abia people, stating that the governor needed no campaign.

“We have a man of integrity and nobody needs to campaign for governor Otti, his works will campaign for him.

“You are worth supporting. This is the first time the Catholic Diocese of Aba is honouring a governor,” bishop Echema said.

He thanked Governor Otti for wiping the tears of Abia people and for proving that government is truly about the people.

The Bishop also urged all Catholic faithful to take advantage of the ongoing voters’ registration exercise to obtain their PVCs to exercise their civic responsibility during elections.

The laity comprising the three statutory bodies of the church, CMO, CWO, and CYON, took turns to appreciate the governor for “his excellent and people centered leadership.”

They described him as a “silent achiever” who had touched the lives of ordinary Abia residents especially in Aba, recalling the years of suffering before his emergence due to lack of access roads.

Each body presented the governor with special gifts.

In his response, Governor Otti thanked the Church and its organs for the rare and generous endorsement.

“Even if you pay the Catholic Church a billion dollars, they will not do the wrong thing. This is your government and we will never disappoint you,” the governor reassured.

Governor Otti pledged to continue working for the people of Abia State and gave assurances on the next phase of his administration.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet. We have just dealt with the hygiene issues – cleaning up the environment, roads, water, etc. We are now focusing more on Healthcare, Education, Technology, Industrialization and others.

“We will soon embark on the complete recovery of Aba by flagging off the reconstruction of Uratta Road and Old Express. Any project we can’t find the money for, we don’t start. We have found the money. It is in the bank, and the flag-off will happen soon,” Governor Otti said.

The Governor also promised support for the ongoing CMO Secretariat Project and other projects by CWO and CYON which represent the men, women, and youths of the church.