Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has reiterated his dedication to safeguarding local government funds during his administration.
Addressing the media at Government House, Umuahia, Otti underscored his resolve to ensure that funds earmarked for local governments are utilized to promote equitable socioeconomic progress in Abia.
He stated, “Under my leadership, local government funds will not be unlawfully diverted. The ongoing developments in our local governments attest to the effective utilization of these funds. Anyone alleging fund misappropriation must substantiate their claims, and we will take appropriate action. However, to my knowledge, such malpractices are inconceivable under my administration.”
Otti further disclosed that the state government had devised a comprehensive plan to revitalize the education sector in Abia, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria.
He added, “We have looked at the curricula, teaching staff, the infrastructures and we are in the process of enumerating the civil servants we can redeploy to the schools.’’
Otti said that the government was making concerted efforts to make the teaching profession attractive.
He also said that the government had commenced its retrofitting programme in 171 primary schools and 54 secondary schools to upgrade the selected schools to be of high quality standard.
He added, “We have what we call the minimum standard. If you get into a primary school that we have touched you will understand. There are facilities that must be there in the schools such as libraries, laboratories, hostels, and principals’ quarters among others.”
He further said that his administration had been able to cut down the cost of governance by ensuring that only absolutely necessary expenditures were undertaken by the government.
Otti said: “It’s tough but we have to do it. We have been managing our expenditures in such a way that we are able to live within our means as much as possible.”
According to him, at the time his predecessor took over, the state owed N34.5 million and as at the time he took over, the debt had risen to over N192.2 million.
He expressed dismay that the funds could not be accounted for.
Otti said that some of the debts had already been paid off because they were commercial bank overdrafts at high interest rates.
He said that since he became governor, he had always ensured that security vote was judiciously utilised in enhancing security in Abia.
Otti added that security remains top priority in the state government’s agenda because of its role in development.
Leave a Reply