By Editor, Umuahia

Abia state Governor, Dr Alex Otti recently announced that the state had won a USD400,000 Primary Health Care UNICEF prize in a programme tagged “Leadership Challenge” for the second consecutive time.

Governor Alex Otti disclosed this recently during the monthly media chat tagged, “Governor Otti Speaks to Abians” held at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Umuahia.

According to the Governor, a lot has been done in the health sector including the 200 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) undergoing retrofitting.

There are also plans of rehabilitating 200 PHCs spread across the 184 wards of the state in 100 days.

On the proposed medical village, the governor said that the details would be disclosed by the first quarter of 2025.

“Yesterday, our state won a prize at the UNICEF primary healthcare. They call it leadership challenge. Our dear State came second in the South East and won a prize money of USD400,000”. “This is not the first time we are winning that prize. Last year, we also came second. We are hoping that next year, we will make it to the first position”. “We believe it is still early days. By the time we complete all these projects that we have on hand, I think the story will be different”, Gov. Otti assured.

On security, Governor Otti said that the security architecture of the State was being rejigged to completely nip in the bud the new trend of crime in some parts of the state, assuring Abians coming home for the yuletide of adequate security.

“We have decided to rejig the security architecture, we are doing everything possible to ensure that our state is safe and particularly at this time.

“I would like people to know that the Government is not going to rest on its oars until we rid this place of all criminal activities, be it in the rural or urban areas”.”I would also encourage our brothers and sisters in diaspora who have given indication that they were going to come, to continue because we have made adequate arrangements to protect everyone in the state, particularly in this time” he said.

On the proposed Abia Airport at Nsulu, the state Chief Executive said that Abia is providing the land and other logistics for smooth take off and execution of the project.

According to him, “I see a few people make comments without sufficient information. The first time I spoke about Abia Airport, I made it clear that it is a federal government’s project”. “What we have come to do is to provide land and also provide logistics so that the Airport will be constructed to standard.

“The other thing is that the Federal Government intended to build an airstrip but with our intervention and our promise to come in at any time we are required to, hence, it was converted to a full fledged airport. We had reasoned that the difference between an airport and airstrip is the runway” Gov. Otti said.

The State Chief Executive who informed the media that he had on Tuesday presented the 2025 budget estimate to the State House of Assembly amounting to N750 billion reiterated that about 82 percent of the budget is for Capital Expenditure while about 18 percent would go on Recurrent Expenditure.

He dismissed the insinuations that the budget was at the high side and explained why it is so.”Some people have made comments about the size of the budget. When you look at the size in absolute terms, it would look high, but if the budget size with over 30 percent inflation and exchange rate depreciation, then the difference is not even as much as it looks.

“The important thing is that every budget is an aspiration. It is aspiration that is founded on logic.Budget entrusted becomes the budget realistic and at the end of the day, you would have implemented it. It is all about planning”, Otti explained.

Speaking on the new National Minimum wage, Governor Otti noted that he has since October commenced the implementation and has directed that some issues relating to consequential adjustment which were observed should be resolved as soon as possible while the December and 13th month salaries would be paid on or before 20th of this month.

Responding to questions on the report that some Permanent Secretaries and other civil servants earlier retired as a result of Governments policy were yet to get their entitlements, the Governor said that he has directed the Accountant General of the State to address the issue, assuring that all concerned would get what is due them.

Also, on the alleged extortion of commuters around the Nunya – Isuikwuato Junction of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Express way, the Governor directed his Chief Security Officer to immediately investigate and report the matter back to him for necessary action.On education, the Governor said that his administration has commenced the implementation of the recommendation of the white paper report of the visitation panel of ABSU and has also started renovations and making great impact at Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic and ASCETA while a lot work has been done and is still ongoing at the basic Education sub-sector. For agriculture, the Governor said that he is engaging with relevant stakeholders to disentangle and revive moribund farm settlements that were privately concessioned by previous administration, disclosing that a private company is about investing about USD120 million in the Palm oil value chain of the state.