Abians in Diaspora Celebrate Otti’s Supreme Court Victory

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Abia State people in Diaspora have joined in celebrating the victory of the state Governor, Mr. Alex Otti, at the Supreme Court, saying they are happy that he eventually won the last battle to remain in government house.

Otti was among  the seven governors whose mandates were on Friday affirmed by the apex court thereby giving them peace of mind to face governance without watching their backs.

In a statement issued from his base in the United States, and made available to THISDAY, a renowned renewable energy expert, Bob Ibeneme, said Otti’s victory was good for the interest of Abia State.

According to him, the former bank chief was already “translating his vision for a new Abia State into reality,” hence winning the last legal battle meant that he would continue and complete the good works he is doing in the state.

 Ibeneme, who is a veteran of the US Air force and member of the Abia State Advisory Council, said since Otti came to power,  he has “shown exemplary and top-notch leadership in Abia State.

“We have seen governors or even presidents who had no clue or strong hold of their structure. In fact, you can be a leader in your community, in your family, or in your church, without having a title.

“Leadership is all about having true followership. One thing you cannot deny is that Dr. Alex Otti has a tremendous followership that strongly believes in him in the state.

“He understands that power belongs to the people and has geared all his policies towards the upliftment of the Abia people, most especially the less privileged.”

Ibeneme, who is experienced in the public sector, having been appointed into the City of Hallowell Maine Council by a mayor in 2015, said he was convinced that the governor “has proven that he has a vision and knows the path towards realising it.

“He (Otti) is slowly and steadily laying a strong foundation to translate his vision into reality in Abia State,” he said, adding that “even the opposition will not argue that Otti came prepared to govern Abia State.”

On the decisions so far taken by Otti, some of which were criticised by the opposition,  Ibeneme defended the governor, saying he “has been bold and firm in his decisions, no matter how tough they seemed to be.”

The expert noted that Governor Otti has displayed full commitment to the affairs of Abia State and even denies himself sleep just to ensure that things were working to plan to meet the needs of people.

“While most of us enjoy our regular sleep routines, our governor spends most of his nights in administering state affairs. This is evident in his response to messages at different odd hours when ordinarily you will think he is sleeping,” he said.

The former U.S airman commended Otti for his ability to “systematically set the positive direction” for his administration, especially in his choice of people to work with him, citing the appointment of transition chairmen in council areas.

The state Advisory Council member observed that a noticeable paradigm shift in Abia State  budgeting was a good development that would have positive impact in the overall development of the state.

“For the first time in the history of Abia State, a bold and ambitious budget plan allocated 84 percent of the budget for capital expenditure and 16 percent for recurrent.

“It takes a bold leader who is in charge and has the support of his people to accelerate development in the state to champion this plan and make decisions of this magnitude,” Ibeneme stated.