Committee: Otti Renovates Inauguration Venues to Save Public Funds

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

In order to save costs, the Abia State Governor-elect, Mr. Alex Otti, has funded the renovation of the public facilities where his inauguration ceremonies would take place on May 29.

The Coordinator of the Inauguration Committee, Hon Iheanacho Obioma, disclosed this yesterday while briefing journalists in Umuahia on the preparations for the inauguration ceremonies.

He said: “Extensive renovations have been carried out at the Umuahia Township Stadium and the International Conference Centre where the two segments of the ceremony-inauguration and luncheon-would hold respectively.

“What is being done by Otti with his personal money is what the outgoing government should have done,” he said, adding that there was deliberate intention not to involve the government in the renovation of the facilities.

According to him, asking the government to renovate the venues for the inauguration would be an opportunity for officials to escalate the costs for their private pockets.

Obioma said that the inauguration ceremony with the theme: ‘Alex Otti Inaugural…Help is Here’ would be elaborate, comprising the formal swearing-in of the governor-elect and his deputy, and thereafter a luncheon.

 “These two events are going to signal a new order in the way we do things as Abians going forward, and therefore has been designed with excellence in mind,” Obioma said.

He said some of Nigeria’s best and globally acknowledged stars in music and comedy have been lined up to perform at the event which is expected to be graced by thousands of people from within and outside Abia State.

Top in the cast of music stars is the is international award-winning singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, while the Abia State-born renowned stand-up comedian, Bright Okpocha aka Basketmouth, will lead the cast of comedians.

“We want to give Abia people the latitude to express their joy,” he said, adding that Alex Otti has enjoyed enormous support and  goodwill in his quest to become the state governor.”