Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, says his government has spent about N14.43 billion on retrofitting of 61 public schools as of June 2025 in furtherance of his transformational agenda in the education sector.
Governor Alex Otti disclosed this while reacting to questions that border on the statement credited to an opposition politician, demanding accountability for the sums allocated to renovation of public schools in the state at the monthly media chat tagged “Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians” held on Friday at the Government House, Umuahia.
He explained what is published on the government’s website and blamed Eze Chikamnayo for not understanding numbers and how they work in accounting, adding that his government has fellows of accountants who contribute to the accountability and transparency of the administration.
“There is something called the state.
S. F. A. S. It is a programme by the World Bank that requires states to publish their budget performance. What is a budget? Budget is an estimate. So these things are very simple.
But at the end of the day, what is important is what the cash has been spent on.
“So if you go to the website of Abia State Government, the audited financial statement for December 31, 2024, states exactly how much of that 54 billion has been spent.
“What this government does is that before we hand over money to you, we must collect an advance payment guarantee. So at any point in time, if you are working for us, your money must be in our hands and not the other way round. So if you take a walk, you know you will lose money.
“So when somebody goes to town and says 54 billion is missing, unfortunately for him, he is talking to the wrong people. When you look at this government, at least 3 or 4 members of the Executive Council are fellows of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
“So if you want to take on this government, it should not come from numbers, particularly for a man who doesn’t understand numbers,” Gov. Otti stated.
The Governor made it clear to the former Commissioner for Information in the state that his government would not hire him nor call him for negotiations.
“So, to Eze Chikamnayo, I have a message for him. This is a different government. And my response to his request that came at the beginning of this administration remained the same.
“The person he sent to me, oh, he wants to be part of this government, I told him no. And the answer is no. So we have followed him. He has been part of every government since 1999. In 2007, he started blackmailing the governor at that time, and they called him and gave him jobs.
“So if he likes, let him hang on the transformer. This government would not call him. So he said I should do a video. I checked the records, and I found out that about 5 or 6 schools are being done in Umunneochi as we speak. He should come home and see them if he is not afraid of coming home.
“I should not do a video. Why should I do a video and prove to him that I am working in his local government? No, he should come. I should not stay in Abuja.
“And if he comes, please somebody should also tell him not to forget to also visit the university where he claimed he read law. I am also working there. And to the people who sent him, first of all, they sent the wrong person.
Governor Otti, who said that he knows the person who sponsored the former Commissioner to hold a press conference against his government, described it as unfortunate that the sponsor hired a man without credibility to carry out the hatchet man’s job.
“A man without credibility. You don’t need to send him to go and talk about it. And in any case, they may not have found a man with credibility to come and talk rubbish.
“Because people keep quiet, they think they can get away with anything. You blackmail him, they will call you for a discussion. I will never call you (Chikamnayo) for negotiation.
Never. So maybe you need to set up another structure” Gov. Otti emphasised.
DIVINE NWANKWO
HOD (INFORMATION)
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, UMUAHIA.
15 – 08 – 2025.
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