Stephanie Clems, Umuahia

Ohafia local government area of Abia state has become the very first to host a smart school in the state.

This is all thanks to the lawmaker representing Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Chief Ibe Okwara Osonwa.

Speaking while commissioning the smart school situated Ofali Akwu Secondary School, Ohafia, governor Alex Otti said that his administration has rolled out free and compulsory education at the primary and Junior secondary levels, adding that he would consider extending the policy to the senior secondary level as soon as the state’s economy improves.

He urged parents and guardians to take advantage of the new policy to send their wards to school, warning that from January 2025, it will be a punishable offence for any parent or guardian whose ward is seen hawking goods on the streets during school hours.

“I hope the parents are taking note, we have given you people some months of grace. From January next year, if we see a child hawking during school hours, running errands and selling wares, we are going to pick up that child not because we want to arrest him but we will pick him up and he will take us to his or her parents”.

“We will exchange the child with the parents and we will lock the parents up”, Governor Otti warned.

The Governor while thanking Chief Okwara Osonwa for facilitating the project and seeing to its completion in record time, said that it would be replicated to serve as a standard in all public schools across the State.

He said that his unquenchable taste for quality education led to the allocation of 20% of the 2024 Budget to the education sector, assuring that 2025 fiscal year will not fall short of acceptable standard.

“Do not forget that for the first time, 20 percent of our budget was allocated to education and that was the 2024 budget”.

“In the next few hours, I will be sitting with the budget committee for the 2025 budget and already, I had given instruction before this meeting that whatever the total budgetary outlay is going to be for 2025, at a minimum, 20 percent of it must also go to education”, the Governor asserted.

In his address, the Member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Chief Ibe Okwara Osonwa described the project as a bold step towards transforming education in Abia state, adding that it aligns with the governor’s vision in preparing Abia children for the demands of a technologically advanced world.

The Federal lawmaker disclosed that the facility has replaced traditional chalkboards and marker boards with state-of-the-art, interactive digital screens equipped with cameras as well as digital screens that capture classroom activities and allow students to revisit lessons at any time, while also enabling remote participation for learners outside the school premises.

He emphasized the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, pointing out that his aim is to ensure that the children are equipped with the basics available globally to enable them compete confidently with their peers anywhere in the world.

The law maker said that the school’s teachers, from Nursery to Secondary levels have undergone comprehensive training to operate the new technology with over 70 trained educators expected to serve as trainers for others and expressed his gratitude to all stakeholders including Governor Otti for contributing to the initiative.

Representative of all the development partners, Mr Olayomi Gbolahan said that they are happy to be part of history aimed at bringing the state in tune with the 21st century teaching and learning demands, adding that the school is equipped with full ICT facilities, 24 hours solar – powered, CCTV cameras and can be used for other purposes such as youth empowerment, women digital training and skills acquisition centre.

Responding on behalf of the benefitting school, Ofali Akwu Secondary School, Miss Blessing thanked Governor Otti’s administration and the facilitator Chief Ibe Okwara Osonwa for the massive transformation and called for perimeter fencing of the School to safeguard lives and the facilities provided.

By Editor, Umuahia

Governor Alex Otti has assured that his government will continue to remit its counterpart funding in order to adequately tackle erosion menace across the state.

The Governor gave the assurance on Tuesday, 26th November, when he received in audience the National Project Coordinator of Nigerian Climate Adaptation, Watershed Project (NEWMAP)–European Investment Bank funding, Engr. Anda Ayuba Yalaks and his Team who paid him a working visit in his Umuehim Nvosi country home, Isiala Ngwa South LGA.

Governor Otti explained that his administration considers the environmental impact of everything it does, saying that “some of our actions in the past are what we are paying for today.”

He informed the NEWMAP team that the State could not wait for them before swinging into action to arrest the ravaging impact of a gully erosion site at Ovom Street, Aba.

A few months back, the Governor visited the erosion site where he saw the devastating impact of the ravaging erosion and ordered the immediate evacuation of residents around the area and the immediate engagement of experienced contractors to deal with the situation.

He noted that although the team had identified about 57 erosion sites in the State and prioritized 20 sites, the figures were understated because some erosion sites may not be very evident at the moment, but a closer look at them will help discover that they are disasters in the waiting.

“So, we can start with 20 for a start but we hope that you will come again so that we can nip some of these things in the board”.“I can assure that if we require to set aside additional counterpart funding, we will do it. The difference in our own administration is that approval is equal to release. We do not approve when we don’t have the funding. As soon as we give the approval, we have the funding ready” the Governor assured.

He commended Engr. Ikechukwu Ukaegbu, the NEWMAP Project Coordinator in Abia State, for the great job he and his team are doing, which has prepared the State for the implementation of NEWMAP projects. He thanked the team for the endorsement it has given the State and assured them that the State will give them all the support that they will require as they carry out their assignment.

Earlier in his speech, the team leader and National Project Coordinator of NEWMAP Engr. Yalaks said that he and his team came to Abia State to access erosion sites and ascertain how ready Abia is, as one of the 23 States benefiting from the NEWMAP-EIB 175 million Euros erosion funding projects in Nigeria. He said that the project objective is to reverse land degradation, “be it flooding, erosion and land degradation in a targeted sub-watershed.” He said that the project has a duration of five years, effective from 2024.Engr.

Yalaks commended Governor Otti for approving and releasing the counterpart fund of 500 million Naira for the project, noting that he has demonstrated the highest political will to get Abia ready for the project. “In Government, there would be approvals, but there are releases. But in this case, you have approved and released the sum of 500 million. We are grateful for that Your Excellency. Sir, permit me to inform you that under your able leadership and for what you are known to be, you have demonstrated the highest level of political will on this project and have secured Abia to have met all the conditions required. Congratulations your Excellency” He described Governor Otti’s choice of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) headed by Mr. Ikechukwu Ukaegbu as the best.Engr. Yalaks said that the identified sites are active, expanding at an alarming rate, separating communities and threatening livelihoods. He stated that some of the basic causes of the problems are poor road designs and inadequate drainage systems. He called for more counterpart funding and continued community engagements for the citizenry to own the projects.

The Project Coordinator in Abia, Engr. IKechukwu Ukaegbu attributed their achievements to the Governor’s overwhelming support to ensure the readiness of the State for the projects.In his vote of thanks, the Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna thanked Governor Otti for his intentional and enduring support to prepare the State for the NEWMAP-EIB funded projects. He also thanked the visiting National NEWMAP team led by Engr. Anda Ayuba Yalaks for doing a thorough Job in their assignment of accessing the State’s readiness for NEWMAP-EIB and for confirming that the State is fully prepared having met the requirements for the project.The NWEMAP-EIB engineering and environmental consultants were all part of the visit.

By Editor, Umuahia

Former commissioner for information in Abia state, Chief John Okiyi Kalu has dismissed claims by the state government that the opposition in the state is fueling insecurity.

In a response to the media statement by the special adviser to governor Alex Otti on media and publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, Chief Kalu said that the government was deliberately politicising the growing insecurity in the state.

The response which was contained in a press statement signed by the two time commissioner also attributed the government’s position to “The first major sign of a failing government.”

According to him, the governor would need professional advice on the situation to enable him avoid mistakes that might worsen the situation.

” he needs sound advice from well meaning people across the country before he digs himself and the state further into the insecurity hole.

The state government had on Monday November 18 issued a press statement signed by Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma wherein he wrote;

“following series of tip-off from patriotic citizens and reliable intelligence, it has been firmly established that some unpatriotic politicians, in connivance with some external parties are behind the current wave of violence and crime in the state since the end of May this year.”

Continuing, it said, “Government wishes to strongly warn that anyone that attempts to play politics with the lives and property of innocent Abians should be ready to face the consequences, as government will no longer tolerate such acts, no matter who is behind them.”

But Chief Okiyi in his statement declared, “it is actually the government of Alex Otti that is playing politics with the lives and property of the people of our dear state by failing to realize how unhelpful and crude its statement is in the quest for the search of solutions.

“Similarly, the obvious panic in the statement and resort to politicization of insecurity is also a clear sign of cluelessness and failure to understand how to effectively manage insecurity and ultimately improve the wellbeing of our people.

The former aide to ex governor Okezie Ikpeazu, advised governor Alex Otti to seek direction and help from his predecessors who at one time or the other witnessed an upsurge of insecurity during their reign.

Below is the recommendation from Chief Okiyi to the government:

“Mr Governor, kindly take note of the following:

1. Every preceding administration in Abia State faced multiple security challenges which were managed without attempting to politicize them. The leaders of those administrations simply understood that a crime is committed by a criminal whose ethnic, religious, and political affiliations, if any, are inconsequential.

2. Collaboration with citizens yields valuable information that helps to root out criminals and those citizens can only provide such helpful intelligence in the absence of real or threatened political and social backlash to them.

3. Working with constitutionally recognized security agencies with the tools to dispassionately investigate crimes and the required socio-political neutrality is the best approach that delivers sustainable solutions to insecurity. Attempting to turn and focus security agencies towards your political opponents is a clear sign of unmitigated failure in leadership.

4. Politically motivated allegations and insinuations do not solve security challenges hence experienced leaders avoid such because it simply allows the real criminals to thrive and multiply while the government engages in shadow boxing with innocent people who ultimately know nothing about the insecurity and are in the main as worried as every other person but ready to offer support to the government.

5. The public posturings and body language of Governor Otti make it difficult for even his allies to provide seemingly contrary but helpful information to his publicly held view as the leader. People tend to tell the leader what he wants to hear and not necessarily the truth simply because he adopted an “Eze Onye Agwalam” (I know it all) approach to leadership.

6. A careful study of security patterns, environment and individuals or groups hitherto associated with perpetrating violent acts yields far more solutions than political name calling in managing insecurity in our state. During the administration that preceded that of Otti, we experienced far more security challenges than what he is grappling with today (with his obvious incompetence), yet it was all tackled without politicization and Abia ended up being recognized as the safest state in the South East region and among the top 3 in Nigeria. Governor Otti inherited the security architecture and only needed to improve on it.

7. Governor Otti is currently receiving the highest amount of money as security votes in the history of Abia State and the south east region yet he is wrongly parceling off his leadership failures to unnamed “opposition” while entertaining himself with money meant to support security services in our dear state. It is time to ask him to name those politicians in the opposition that are responsible for insecurity in Abia so that they can defend themselves before appropriate security agencies.

Finally, let me point out that Abia State was not created in May 2023 as Governor Alex Otti has tried to convince himself. Others before him efficiently managed the state with eyes on the ball and achieved great outcomes like improvements in security, youth employment and infrastructural development without having half of the resources now placed at his disposal.

His personal attitude to leadership is at the heart of his failures and recourse to make-believe governance that the opposition is railing against. I strongly doubt there is anyone in the “opposition“ that will benefit from unleashing insecurity on our people for political gains. Indeed, to the best of my knowledge, nobody benefits from insecurity apart from criminal elements whose gains are usually short lived as the law ultimately catches up with them. Otti is merely distracting himself with his public statements that lack substance and empirical basis. Governor Alex Otti must be reading the newspapers he buys with millions of tax payers money every month and must have seen that other states in the south east region are also facing similar security challenges as Abia.

I am yet to read Governors Chukwuma Soludo and Peter Mbah of Anambra and Enugu States, respectively, blame their political opponents for it even though the situation seems much more dangerous in those states.

I therefore strongly recommend that Governor Otti comes down from his high horse and go for peer tutorials to help him understand how to manage insecurity without politicization.Insecurity affects everyone and indeed nobody benefits from it. It does not even help to change political outcomes as the history of our nation and neighboring states have proved, hence, no sane person will seek to use it for political gains.

That Governor Alex Otti is bent on this ill advised politicization of insecurity is the surest sign of unfitness for office he has shown so far and it is important to help him quickly change course through this public advice: treat criminality as criminality and politics as politics for the sake of our people. Our Governor, please do not set up the state for crimes to flourish through chasing political shadows while real criminals thrive and expand their operational territories within our beloved state.

Change course by repudiating your ill advised statements, pass all relevant information to the security authorities for verification and co-opt all citizens, including former leaders of Abia State, to help you fight off the current upsurge in crimes.Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones. Hopefully, Governor Alex Otti will wake up from his “sleeping slumber” to genuinely enlist the support of all citizens to protect our people in line with his oath of office. Nobody is happy that our state is facing this heightened insecurity and we must all genuinely help an otherwise clueless government.