Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has assured residents that his administration will prioritize agricultural development in 2025 to boost the state’s economy.
In his New Year message, Governor Otti revealed plans to invest N18.9 billion in supporting economically vulnerable individuals and families.
He also emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring security and creating a conducive environment for investors and investment opportunities in the state.
Gov Otti while reeling out his government’s plans for the state in 2025 said: “Our pursuits may be different but the goals are often not too far apart: we want to live in fulfilment by applying our talents and abilities to useful endeavours, chase our dreams, pursue worthy causes and one day, when our race is done, look back in gratitude for the opportunities we had and the overall impact made within our spheres of influence.
“Things may not go exactly as we wish but even then, we have a responsibility to step out with hope, doing our best each day to pursue the outcomes we seek for ourselves and our loved ones.
“Hope must override despair and nothing should distract us from giving our all to achieve the goals that we have carefully laid out in the weeks and days leading to this remarkable day.
“I do not possess the power to predict the future but I know one thing for sure: victory ultimately goes to the one who never gave up.
“As a government, our job in the New Year will be to build systems and structures to support your dreams and offer you the institutional leverage to thrive and contribute to our shared aspiration of building a better society.
“With sincerity and commitment as our guiding principles, we have strived to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our people, honouring the faith they have placed in us.
“We are practically in a hurry to rebuild our State and realign governance priorities to reflect the true aspirations of the people.
“We have since evolved a system that prioritises the needs of the downtrodden by paying attention, listening carefully and channelling public resources to where they yield the highest social and economic dividends to the majority.
“By taking on very difficult but economically and socially significant projects in road infrastructure development, health and education, waste management and environmental recoveries, we have demonstrated that no obstacle can be too difficult to surmount when there is the sincere will to get things done.
“Many of the impact-making projects in our urban and rural communities are now nearing completion. Others are also being developed at a pace that leaves no doubt about the determination of the government to complete and add them to the stock of public infrastructure in the State.
“You will find evidence of our commitment to the restoration and upgrade of long-abandoned public infrastructure across the State at the Aguiyi Ironsi Boulevard in Umuahia, Port Harcourt Road in Aba, Obohia and Ohanku Roads, Ohafia-Arochukwu Road, Omenuko Bridge and several others that only served as tools of electioneering deceit before now.
“What makes us different as an administration is that we are driven by a genuine sense of service and an obligation to work for the people. Our pursuit is beyond political glory because we appreciate that humanity comes before politics.
“The ground breaking ceremony for the Abia Medical City Project will happen in the next few weeks. The Project promises to revolutionise the healthcare delivery ecosystem in the region, cut down the rate of medical tourism and provide incentives for the retention of top medical talents in the state. The on-going renovation of 200 primary healthcare centres will also be completed in the first quarter of the New Year to boost access to quality health services, especially in the rural communities.
“We shall in the New Year, consolidate our efforts to make the State investor-friendly because beyond just the promise of higher revenue earning for the government, we are particularly keen on opening channels of lucrative job opportunities for the young people and the expansion of the existing windows for local entrepreneurs who provide ancillary services. Attracting generous local and foreign investments is at the core of our economic development agenda so we shall pursue it with vigour this 2025.
“Therefore, we shall do everything in our power to reposition the state to become irresistibly attractive to those seeking to expand to new territories or cut costs by taking advantage of the boundless opportunities the state offers, especially in the areas of human capital, improved social infrastructure and seamless ease-of-doing-business protocols.
“Abia, I would like to announce, is very open for business and we are ready to provide every necessary support to genuine investors who seek to set up shops in any part of the State.
“Beyond our strategic infrastructure development initiatives as captured in the 2025 Appropriation Act which we intend to implement faithfully, we shall also continue to prioritise security of lives and property, adopting necessary measures to keep criminals and their sponsors out of the state.
“Again, I would like to restate that we shall not hesitate to deploy the full might of the Government against any individual or group whose activities pose a threat to the safety of our people.
“While we insist that wealth and prosperity cannot be built through hand-outs, it is also a statement of fact that many will find it difficult to survive in the short run without a structured system of social support.
“The provision of this huge sum to drive our social protection agenda speaks to the determination of the state government to use the levers of public office to redistribute wealth and ensure that the fruits of social prosperity get to everyone, especially those on the lowest rungs of the income ladder.
“We shall continue to give adequate attention to the welfare of our civil servants and others employed in different capacities by the state government and its institutions because of the enormity of their contributions to the success of our holistic governance agenda.
“The established tradition of consistency in the payment of salaries and other entitlements to our hard-working civil servants and their counterparts working across departments and agencies shall remain.
“I directed at the inception of the administration that pensioners be paid before any office holder is allowed to draw a kobo as salary.
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“In the New Year, we shall remain faithful in meeting our obligation to the retirees, in appreciation of their excellent contributions to the development of the State with the energy of their youth.
“To our businesspeople and entrepreneurs, the men and women who support the macroeconomic space with their enterprise and resilience, we appreciate you for everything you do to keep the engines of commerce and industry alive.
“In the new year, we shall work closely with you to identify where we may step in to improve business outcomes and make the enterprise ecosystem in the State more robust and productive.
“I am quite glad that our infrastructure restoration programme is already boosting business activities by attracting new customers from different parts of the country and across the West African region.
“Our artisans and hardworking brothers and sisters in the blue-collar economic space have proven themselves very critical to our collective development objectives by their hard work and creativity.”
