Stephanie Clems, Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, OFR, has flaged-off the construction of the Abia Specialist and Diagnostic Centre, Umunnato, Alayi Bende LGA.

The project is part of the efforts of Governor Otti to upgrade the long abandoned Umunnato General Hospital into a tertiary healthcare facility, with 100-bed ward, theatres, accident and emergency units, general outpatient departments, maternity wards, dental units and radiology departments.

Performing the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, 28th May, 2026, as part of activities marking his third anniversary in office, Governor Otti said that he decided to demolish and rebuild the old and dilapidated facility to get desired quality.

The Governor instructed the contractor to comply strictly with the specifications and deliver within one year.

He constituted a four-man supervisory team comprising the member representing Bende North State Constituency, Hon. Nnamdi Ibekwe; Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma; House of Representatives hopeful for Bende Federal Constituency, Dr Chima Anyaso; and the Deputy Mayor of Bende LGA, Lady Ifeoma Agu.

“We found that it was cheaper to do that (demolish & build a new one) than to try and fix something that you probably wouldn’t even get exactly what you require. Anywhere we flag-off a project, it means it will be commissioned and it will be commissioned in record time, he said.

The Governor expressed optimism that the hospital would be ready for commissioning during activities marking his administration’s fourth anniversary and inauguration of his second term in office.

“So, the contractor is here and I would like to give the contractor a target. “So, in the next one year as we will be celebrating our fourth anniversary and preparing for the next inauguration, we shall be commissioning this project,” Gov. Otti stated.

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche noted that the establishment of the specialist hospital was in fulfilment of the Governor’s promise that each senatorial zone in the State would have a tertiary healthcare facility to serve as a referral centre for specialised medical care.

He said that when the Governor took over office, he made it a point of priority that, “every senatorial district or senatorial zone in Abia State must have a tertiary hospital to serve as the pinnacle referral centre for that senatorial zone.“And that is to bring specialised care to the doorstep of Abians so that nobody is left behind”, Prof Uche stated.

The Commissioner noted that the abandoned hospital, was established in 1962, and had deteriorated for decades.“This hospital was initially established in 1962. At that time, it was serving the whole of Abia North. Unfortunately, for 40 years, it has been abandoned,” Prof. Uche stated.

He said that Abia State University Teaching Hospital serves Abia South Senatorial zone, the Amachara Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre caters for Abia Central, while the Umunnato facility would serve the Abia North. Prof. Uche, informed the mammoth crowd that consultants working towards securing the Joint Commission International (JCI) certification, which is regarded globally as one of the highest standards in hospital accreditation, had already commenced work in line with the directive of the Governor.

The Governor later commissioned two Primary Healthcare Centres, including the Umuisi Primary Healthcare facility and the Okafia Primary Healthcare facility all in Igbere, Bende Local Government Areas.

By Editor, Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has performed the ground breaking ceremony for the reconstruction of the 100 -bedded Okpuala-Ngwa general hospital in Isialangwa North LGA.

Governor Otti equally commissioned the newly rebuilt, retrofitted and functionalized government cottage hospital, Umuihie, Okporoahaba, Isialangwa South LGA.

Speaking on Monday, May 25th, 2026, at the occasions as part of the activities marking the third anniversary of his government, governor Otti restated his administration’s commitment to rebuilding the healthcare system across Abia state.

Governor Otti described the Okpuala Ngwa General Hospital as a facility of great historical importance to the people of the area and Abia residents generally, noting that it once served as one of the major healthcare institutions in the old Eastern region.

He said the hospital had prominent medical professionals, including the late Dr. Chima Nwafor serve there.

Governor Otti described the failure of the present day generation to fix and maintain hospitals established by the forefathers as a shame, saying that, “What we have come here to do today is to restore this hospital to its former glory.”

The State Chief Executive, who disclosed that work has already commenced at the Okpuala Ngwa General Hospital, assured that the hospital would be equipped as a modern, state-of-the-art medical facility and would be delivered in record time.

Governor Otti informed the crowd that was cheering him that the portions of the hospital land previously acquired illegally had been fully recovered by the government, warning against encroachment on public property.

While commissioning the government cottage hospital in Umuihie, governor Otti challenged the benefiting community and stakeholders to ensure that they protect the facility.

“When our attention was drawn to it (the cottage hospital), we decided to weigh in, renovate and rehabilitate it and put it to use.

“We want to say that this is a big challenge to the community and I like what distinguished Senator Darlington Nwokocha just said.

“This is your facility in your community and I want to challenge all of you that you have to protect this facility,” Gov. Otti stated.

In their goodwill messages, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, the member representing Isialangwa North and South Federal Constituency, Chief Ginger Onwusibe and the member representing Isialangwa South State Constituency, Mr Roland Ceaser thanked Governor Otti for making healthcare services a priority in the state.and equally appreciated him for granting them the Labour Party tickets to run for 2027 elections.

They noted that Governor Otti has changed the narratives in all sectors of the state’s economy, urging the people to own the facility and protect it from vandals.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Uche, explained that the Isiala Ngwa general hospital is among the hospitals approved by the governor for reconstruction and upgrade to guarantee accessible and quality healthcare delivery across the State.

According to the Commissioner, the hospital will feature modern consulting clinics, surgical units, diagnostic laboratories, radiology services, a state-of-the-art accident and emergency unit, children’s ward, blood bank services, and ambulance support services.

Prof. Uche, who commended Governor Otti for prioritising healthcare infrastructure and improving the welfare of the people through strategic investments in the health sector, also said that the newly renovated, retrofitted and functionalized cottage hospital would serve as a critical referral hub for primary healthcare centres in Isialangwa South and surrounding communities.

He added that it has the best of the equipment needed for the hospital of that level and has solar power to sustain the facility in case of public power outage .

In their speeches, the Anglican Archbishop of Aba Ecclesiastical Province, Rt. Rev. Isaac Nwobia and the traditional Ruler of Okporoahaba autonomous Community, Eze Peter Emeonye described the health intervention of the Governor as second to none, calling for the construction of the Okporoahaba road to improve the living conditions of their people.

Governor Otti had earlier commissioned Umuikama – Okpuala Nvosi road and Umunkpeyi – Okpokiri-Umuehim roads all in Isiala Ngwa South LGA.

Stephanie Clem’s, Umuahia

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday conducted its gubernatorial primary election in Abia State, with Dr. Kelechi Anosike emerging as the party’s flag bearer ahead of the 2027 election.

The primary election, which was conducted across the 184 wards of the state, recorded impressive participation by party faithful.

However, the exercise was not without controversy as results from five wards in Ohafia Local Government Area were not announced following the failure of electoral officials in the affected wards to transmit or submit their results before the conclusion of collation.

State chairman of the arty, Abraham Amah while announcing the results on behalf of the panel said that despite the development, the result of the primaries would not be affected in any way.

He announced that Dr. Kelechi Anosike defeat polled 16,543 vote to defeat two other aspirants including a former commissioner for information, Chief John Kalu with 3,145 votes and a lawyer, Barr. Olugu Umah, 990 votes to clinch the PDP gubernatorial ticket the highest number of votes cast.

Reacting to his victory, Anosike expressed gratitude to party members for the confidence reposed in him, describing his emergence as a collective victory for the PDP in Abia State.

The governorship candidate promised to pursue a people-oriented and welfarist administration if elected governor in 2027, pledging to focus on economic development, job creation and improved living conditions for residents of the state.

He also assured party supporters that efforts would be intensified to unite aggrieved members and strengthen the PDP ahead of the general election.

This may be a new dawn for the once dominant party in the state in its bid to restore its fortune as a formidable party if it pursues it’s course with sincerity of purp.