By Editor, Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, OFR, has called on Nigerians to embrace digital and distance education as the way to go in the contemporary time.

Governor Otti was speaking, while receiving in audience a delegation of the management of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) led by Professor Uduma Orji Uduma in his office.

Governor. Otti recounted that it was the NOUN that pioneered virtual learning in Nigeria.

“It is interesting that National Open University of Nigeria pioneered an effort decades ago when the world had not gone virtual. But today, I sit here and hold meetings with people in New York and Singapore.

“That is what learning has become. Distance, Open, Virtual, Zoom, Google meet and all the platforms for distance learning and virtual meetings have become the order of the day.

“So, we have no choice but to embrace it,” Gov. Otti stated. Governor Otti approved the citing of the Aba Study Centre of the NOUN, and directed the Commissioner for Tertiary Education to do a feasibility study on how to fix and upgrade the Umuahia study centre.

This was in response to the requests made by the Vice Chancellor of the institution.

“On your request to support in upgrading the place (Umuahia centre), I would like the Honourable Commissioner for Tertiary Education to take that up together with other members of the team.

“Let’s have a look and see how we can support them to upgrade the place.”On the request for a study centre in Aba, I think that one is a no-brainer. It has to be done.”So, the General Manager of the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA), please take that up and let’s find a place for them.

“Maybe we need to find a place that they will operate from on a temporary basis. Because before you start and finish building, it will probably take a long time.”So, you can start from a temporary place. We will now be thinking of a permanent site, which will be a fairly long-term project,” Gov. Otti said.

The State Chief Executive, who thanked them for the good job that they were doing at National Open University of Nigeria and for establishing a study centre in Asaga Ohafia as well as the one in the State capital, congratulated the Vice Chancellor on his position.

The Governor noted that his government pays a lot of attention to education, saying that, in the last three years, he had committed 20% of the annual budget to education, disclosing that, soon, he would be commissioning three smart schools within the month.

Earlier, the Leader of the delegation and Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Uduma Orji Uduma said that the visit was to solicit for partnership with the Governor for the establishment of a study centre in Aba, describing Open and distant learning as the way to go in the 21st Century.

While noting that the University has 120 Study Centres across Nigeria with only 8 in the South East region, Professor Uduma appealed to the State government to partner with the University to secure land for the establishment of a study centre in Aba to enable more Abia people enjoy the gains of open and distant learning, in addition to fixing and upgrading the existing Umuahia study centre.

He appreciated the transformation projects of Governor Alex Otti in the State and maintained that the people across the country are happy about his people oriented development strides.

Stephanie Clems, Umuahia

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Abia State took a significant step toward internal stability on Monday, as delegates gathered in the state capital to produce a new State Executive Committee through a peaceful consensus arrangement.

The congress, held at Bishop Nwedo pastoral centre in Umuahia, saw party faithful from all 17 Local Government Areas converge in an atmosphere described by observers as “orderly and unified.”

The turn out of party faithful to the congress was something many analysts said was both amazing and unexpected.

The NDC opted for a harmonized list of candidates which saw Chief Akọ Atuloma emerge as the state chairman of the party. Following hours of deliberations by party stakeholders and elders, the proposed names were presented to the floor and ratified by a unanimous voice vote from the accredited delegates.

The emergence of the new executive is seen as a strategic move to reposition the NDC as a formidable force in Abia State politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.

While the full list of executives is expected to be published later this week, the newly ratified State Chairman, in his acceptance speech, thanked the party members for their maturity and sacrifice.

“I want to thank the delegates from the ward level who participated in the various primaries. I also want to thank delegates who stood the grounds at the LGA level. I’m so proud of you, there were no incidents that would attract the police or attract any of the security agencies.

” Everything went smoothly and we are happy we have arrived at this very day,” he said.

He said the party’s delegates had empowered the new executive to succeed in the coming general elections.“I want to assure you that this executive that I have termed “vehicle of grace” and because we’re a vehicle of grace, we will all succeed come 2027,” he said.

Also speaking during interviews on the sidelines of the event, the chairman said he was confident that the party will exceed expectations in the state and national.

He said although the party was new to the state, it had made significant inroads in all the books and crannies of the state.

“The masses have been yearning for change, NDC symbolises this change. It’s a vessel of this change. I’m not surprised at the massive acceptance of the party by Abia people and Nigerians at large,” he stated.

Other members of the state working committee, the publicity secretary and welfare officer, Mr. Emeka Okoro and Nkeiruka Okpala both expressed optimism in gaining the trust of the electorate.Observers from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were present to monitor the proceedings and ensure compliance with the Electoral Act and the party’s constitution.

Observers say the successful outing in Umuahia sets the stage for the party’s national convention, as the Abia chapter joins several others across the country in formalizing their leadership structures this month.

……….As he announces commissioning of smart Schools

By Editor, Umuahia

American gospel minister Cindy Jacobs, has declared that God had positioned the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, to become a model in leadership and governance.

Cindy Jacobs an independent charismatic prophetess, speaker, author and co-founder of Generals International,made the revelation on Saturday, May 2, during the national thanksgiving worship service at the Father’s House Church, Jahi – Abuja.

Governor Otti had honoured the invitation of the organisers of the programme where he announced his plans to inaugurate three smart schools soon.

.Mrs Jacobs, who was visiting Nigeria 23 years after her last visit alongside her husband, Mike Jacobs, said she saw massive road construction projects spreading across the state,connecting villages and enabling farmers to move their produce easily to their prospective customers.

She also revealed that she saw God supplying the finances needed to make the projects possible.

“God is going to begin to give you finance for infrastructure. I see literary supernatural finances that will enable farms to market produce to come.

“I see roads being built from the villages to the places where they need to sell their produce. I don’t know anything about where you are, but I just see God wants you to be a model,” she said.

She further declared that Governor Otti would introduce transformative policies that would make Abia the most educated state in the region, lifting many citizens out of poverty through education.

“God wants you to be a prototype of what can be done in the region when God is exalted and the Lord also showed me that you’re going to be able to put some policies in place that are going to begin to literally cause your area, your State, to be known as one of the most educated States and I see you building schools and getting that as a legacy for you, building schools and teachers education in particular.

“And so, God is going to help you, of course, raise those out of poverty, and education will take them out of poverty and God is going to do this,” she revealed.

Responding, Governor Otti informed the Gospel Minister, Cindy Jacobs, that since assuming office, his administration had consistently allocated 35 percent of the State’s annual budget to education and healthcare, with education receiving 20 percent and health 15 percent.

He noted that the prophet was “speaking in the spirit,” and further disclosed that his administration had hired and on-boarded 5394 teachers in the first batch of the teachers recruitment exercise and is in the process of hiring additional 4000 teachers.

The State Chief Executive also informed the prophetess that before the end of this month, 3 New smart schools built by his administration would be commissioned.and before the end of this month, we are commissioning three brand new smart schools we built,” Gov. Otti said.

Governor Otti stressed the need for Christians to live according to what they preach, especially leaders, saying that leadership is an opportunity to serve. He emphasized that people are more interested in what leaders and believers do than in what they merely say.

The Governor maintained that while fasting and prayers are important, righteousness exalts a nation, as stated in the Bible, stressing that doing what is wrong cancels prayers.

The National Thanksgiving Worship Service, currently ongoing at The Father’s House, is an interdenominational gathering organized to offer intercessory prayers for Nigeria, especially for an end to the killings and bloodshed in some parts of the country, caused by terrorists and bandits.

The programme also seeks divine healing for the land from the desecration and defilement of bloodshed, and for Nigeria to maximize her potential and become a great nation.