Otti: Creating Wealth for All Better  than Political Appointments for Few

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP) in Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has urged communities in the state to end the practice of negotiating with governorship candidates for political appointments instead of asking for what would be of  general benefit to the people.

He gave the advice yesterday at Ukwa East while flagging off his local government campaigns, saying he was coming to create wealth benefits for all Abians and not to give political appointments to a few persons.

Otti, who was speaking at a town hall meeting in Ndoki, said it would be more beneficial for the communities to demand democratic dividends that would impact positively on their lives and well-being.

“I have been listening to people talking about positions, asking me what position I would give. That position that you would get ends up being a position for one person or his family or his immediate environment,” he said, adding: “So, I want us to start thinking well.

“The mindset now has to change. Talk about the community, don’t talk about the individual.”

He promised that he was coming to create wealth for all Abians and not just giving political appointments that would benefit one or two persons and their families or friends.

According to him, political offices are for individuals but provision of basic amenities and infrastructural facilities such as good roads, potable water, quality healthcare, stable power supply and qualitative education are for collective benefit.

While engaging Ndoki people in a question-and-answer session, Otti reminded them that: “You have got a position here (in the past) as number three man (Senate President) and yet nothing has changed in terms of development.

“There have been commissioners here, right? There have been members of the House of Assembly, party chairmen of ruling parties and still Ukwa is like this.

“So, the issue is not what you get for individuals, it’s what you get for everybody as a community. What I’m coming to do is to create wealth for everybody. I don’t want any family to have one unemployed person.”

Otti told Ndoki people that he preferred to engage them to work and to build roads to connect the area “so that when your products are coming from the farm you will not spend N1,000 to take  them to Aba, and that is the focus now.”