Early this morning, Baby Alex Okorie, born to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Chidiebere Okorie, refused to stay any longer in his mother’s womb as he arrived to welcome the health-friendly Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Alex C. Otti, OFR, who visited Imerem Primary Health Centre, Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, for an on-the-spot assessment of service delivery at functionalized Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the State.
Imerem PHC, a brand-new facility, is one of the 200 primary healthcare centres across the 184 wards of the 17 LGAs of the State renovated, retrofitted and functionalized under the Project Ekwueme initiative of Governor Otti to bring quality primary healthcare closer to the people and reduce pressure on secondary and tertiary health facilities.
Mrs. Chetachi Okorie, mother of the newborn named after Governor Alex Otti, went into labour this morning and gave birth some minutes before the Governor’s arrival for the assessment visit.
Imerem PHC, located in the rural community of Ntigha, was built and functionalized in August last year by the Otti administration. The facility has continued to witness an influx of patients, attesting to the quality of primary healthcare delivery and the restoration of public confidence in Abia’s healthcare ecosystem.
From Imerem, Governor Otti proceeded to Nkwoegwu Primary Health Centre, where he met and interacted with patients, offering them words of hope and encouragement, as he did at Imerem PHC.
According to the Matron-in-charge, Nkwoegwu PHC recorded 15 births last month and has already recorded 10 births this month, with some pregnant women in labour at the time of the Governor’s visit.
At both facilities, Governor Otti interacted with staff, encouraging them to freely communicate challenges to enable government to improve service delivery. The excited health workers, who commended the Governor for the verifiable and significant improvements in healthcare delivery across the State, highlighted a few challenges. In response, the Governor gave marching orders to the Commissioner for Health and other concerned officials to address them as quickly as possible. He also assured that he would return to ensure the directives were carried out to the letter.
In the 2025 Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Primary Health Care Leadership Challenge, held in Abuja, Abia emerged as the best-performed state in the Southeast, winning a cash prize of $500,000 after emerging as runner-up in the 2024 edition.
For Governor Otti, service delivery is also as important as the adequate infrastructure being put in place by his administration.
He also cleared the hospital bills of all patients at the two PHCs visited.
On arrival at both health centres, Governor Otti was received by excited health workers, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche; the Executive Secretary of the Abia State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ABSPHCDA), Dr. Kalu Ulu Kalu; and a crowd of supporters who thronged the facilities, welcoming him with solidarity songs as they sighted his convoy.
Ctz. UKOHA, NJOKU UKOHA
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
October 16, 2026.
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