Gov. of Abia: I took over a badly-run state.
Alex Otti, the governor of Abia situation, has denounced the unsatisfactory situation he took over last year.
Gov. of Abia: I took over a badly-run state.
He bemoaned the situation, but insisted he wasn’t whining—rather, he was coping with it.
He made this statement on Thursday while discussing the state of the state on Politics Today on Channels Television.
“Definitely, really, really bad shape, but I’m not complaining,” he remarked. I’ve rolled up my sleeves and am just interacting with this new acquaintance of mine.
The governor of abia also bemoaned the fact that state citizens were unaware of the purpose for which his predecessor had taken out a loan.
“My concern is more with how the debt is being utilized than it is with actual debt. If by May 29, 2015, you inherited a debt profile of N34.4 billion, and eight years later, you ran that debt down to about N192.2 billion, I really don’t see what you did with the money; salaries weren’t being paid, pensioners weren’t getting paid, the place was falling apart, the infrastructure was deteriorating, the hospitals were in terrible condition, and the schools were completely run down.
So, the question is: Where did the money disappear to? If I take on debt, it will be for investments in regeneration. That’s really what I was talking about—you are not investing in the state or paying salaries when you are taking out loans and piling up debt for personal use.
Otti had stated that the state’s citizens should be entitled to all benefits, including the advancement of infrastructure and the timely payment of salaries and pensions.
He went on to say that he was just doing his official duties as a government official by giving the populace access to the advantages of sound administration.
“We want to create access so that people can go about their businesses freely because we want to improve the lives of the people,” he added. “When we are building roads, it is not a favor.”
