- Say Otti wasting Govt Resources on Frivolous Activities
By Abiola Olawale
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has come under scrutiny after declaring that he plans to demolish the multi-billion Government House located in Umuahia, the state’s capital, just one year after it was commissioned.
The Governor, who spoke with the press over the weekend, said he has not been living in the Government House in Umuahia, the state’s capital.
According to him, the Government House, which his predecessor, former governor of Abia State Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, commissioned in May 2023, is in a terrible state.
He added that he has been operating from his private residence in Umuehim Nvosi in Isialangwa South Local Government Area.
The Governor also revealed that by December this year, he will demolish the current structures and rebuild a befitting Government House in Umuahia.
He stated: “Today, I am not operating from the Government House in Umuahia because there is no Government House. Everywhere is dilapidated and decayed. The option would have been to use the money I used to pay pensioners to begin to retrofit the Government House. But, I felt that we could operate from anywhere while doing the most important things first.
“And I am proud to report that before the end of this year, we are going to break down those dilapidated buildings and put up structures that are befitting for our enlightened people like the Abia people.”
Following the Governor’s declaration, reports have emerged that he might be planning to abandon the newly built multi-billion naira Government House in Umuahia.
It would be recalled that Ikpeazu, on the 27th of May, 2023, commissioned the state’s new Government House Complex located in Umuahia, a few days before he handed it over to Otti.
The new complex was started by the former governor of the state, Theodore Orji, but has now been completed by the Ikpeazu administration.
However, since assuming office Otti has never moved into the newly commissioned government house complex.
Otti had previously claimed he preferred operating from his private residence to save cost instead of “lavishing” public funds to renovate the governor’s lodge within the old Government House.
The governor further claimed that the old and the new government houses were in bad condition and that they “require serious funds” to be put in order.
He also stated the new Government House building was “hurriedly” commissioned by Ikpeazu’s administration without completion “with cables dangling everywhere” and “without power supply.”
He further vowed to demolish a newly built multi-billion naira Government House in Umuahia and build a new one amid the economic hardship facing Nigeria.
Further checks also revealed that the Government House gulped several billions of Naira before it was completed and commissioned.
A statement issued by the Abia State Government on 29 October 2012 indicated that the government paid N175 million just for its fencing.
It was also gathered that the governor’s decision to operate from his private residence in his village placed a financial burden on the Abia State Government, with over N2 million spent monthly for fueling the vehicles of state officials who travel to the village for meetings.
A resident of Abia State who spoke with the New Diplomat on condition of anonymity wondered why the Governor is planning to embark on such a project when the state is among the highly indebted states in Nigeria.
He pointed out that Abia state debt burden stood at N113.7 billion as of 31 March 2024, according to data from the Debt Management Office, while its external debt burden, as of 31 December 2023, was $89 million.
According to him, the Governor should instead complete the Government House commissioned by his predecessor if he claims it is not yet completed rather than demolishing it.
