RESULTS THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

Being the Text of an Address presented by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at the Launch of the Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Development Project on Friday, July 11, 2025 at the Conference Hall, JAAC Building, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia

Protocols

1. Development is a journey of purpose — the persistence in asking what next, seeking answers to new challenges and creating support systems for the genuine aspirations of the population. It is about access, fairness and incentives. Like every worthwhile journey, the fruits of development are richer when supported by partners who believe in the validity of your dream. Improving the general standard of living in our communities, expanding access to education and healthcare, investing in structures that improve collective productivity and all the other factors that highlight the development status of a society cannot happen without an effective partnership framework — one that recognises a people’s right to development and offers incentives for reaching critical milestones. It is about an awareness of what needs to be done, defining the right order of priorities and leveraging results to achieve new targets.
2. On assumption of office 25 months ago, we made it clear that we are purpose-driven. The earliest steps we took caught the attention of global development partners who began to reach out, asking to be part of our development journey. Many partners who had left the State owing to the inconsistencies and contradictions of the past also indicated their willingness to return. We received good offers from several well-meaning multilateral partners but our approach was to start with what is available to us internally, improve the public resource management template and then boost public confidence in the administration. We were methodical in our pattern of infrastructural outlay — prioritising projects that support economic productivity, revenue generation for the government and investment opportunities for local and foreign businesses. In the light of what we have achieved in the last 2 years, even as we continued to aggressively free the State from the shackles of debts incurred by our predecessors, it is now very certain that we got our strategy right. We have moved the needle in the right direction, investors and talents are trooping in to take advantage of the new wave of opportunities that are developing, public optimism is rising and development partners have become even more convinced that this is the place to be.
3. While it is true that we have done considerably well in improving the productive environment across the State, the philosophy of development demands that we raise the bar even higher, broaden the scope of our pursuits in line with rising levels of public expectations and establish robust relationship with the right partners to further accelerate the pace of our progress.
4. It is on this note that I am glad to announce and welcome three major development partners, the African Development Bank (AfDB), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the Canada-Africa Development Bank Climate Fund (CACF) to the New Abia train under the aegis of Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Development Project (ABSIID). In truth, the conception of this initiative preceded the coming of our administration but then, the fact that it took our coming on board to materialise speaks to the growing confidence of multilateral partners in the development trajectory of the State under our leadership. This government did not just take steps to actualise the ABSIID initiative; we worked tirelessly with the partners to broaden the scope from a narrow focus on urban roads when it was first conceived over a decade ago to a robust public sector vehicle for holistic development along critical frontiers covering road rehabilitation, erosion mitigation, and waste management.
5. I would like to extend the profound gratitude of Ndi Abia to the management boards of AfDB, IsDB and CACF for giving the green light to this project and for believing in the enormous potential of the State as a new development front. I would like to thank the Honourable Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and his team for making today possible. Special appreciation is also due to the Federal Government, the Primary Borrower, for the technical support and sovereign assurances it provided. We also acknowledge the support of other partners from the multilateral development space who are throwing their weight behind this venture through technical and logistics assistance. The State Government is deeply grateful for the support it has received from institutions and agencies that share in our development aspirations. Thank you for the bold steps to demonstrate your commitment to the new Abia vision built on the values of enterprise, innovation and resilience.
6. It is not in our place to immediately make assurances but on the evidence of my experience as a member of this community and now its leader, I can tell you for free that we do not breach trust, especially when we see sincerity of purpose. Your faith in Abia shall be repaid across generations through increased volumes of economic output for the local and international markets, a rising population of entrepreneurs who will lead the efforts against unemployment and poverty and a community of healthy and educated people whose intellect and creativity will drive the next chapter of our development. You are therefore not just investing in Abia; this is an investment in humanity, a vote for progress and economic justice and an affirmation of our shared humanity.
7. ABSIID, as I had already hinted, is an integrated development vehicle that would give new impetus to our road infrastructure development, mitigate the menace of gully erosion in several parts of the State and accelerate the development of robust waste management infrastructure. The State will reap extensive economic and social benefits from this initiative. Beyond just improving the stock of road infrastructure to connect communities, farms to markets and dreams to ventures, we are optimistic that ABSIID will fast-track the pace of job creation in agriculture, transportation and light manufacturing. Additionally, the erosion control component of the project will bring succour to communities facing imminent threats from the forces of nature while the waste management element will in addition to improving what we are already doing with sanitation in urban and semi-urban destinations; create new pathways for profitable investments and decent jobs in the ecosystem.
8. The ABSIID initiative certainly holds multiple promises for our economic, environmental and social realities. It will add to the appeal of Abia as a destination of choice for individuals, families and enterprises that seek to do business on very favourable terms. The successful implementation of the ABSIID framework would guarantee that our stock of public revenue would rise progressively to support the capacity to meet our obligations to the partnering institutions. This, without a shadow of doubt, is a win-win for every stakeholder group. The Abia public would function in a more productive space, businesses will thrive in an environment that supports enterprise growth, investors will make profitable returns on their stakes and future generations will have something solid to build on.
9. As I conclude, let me assure Ndi Abia that the terms of agreement with the partners are very favourable and have taken the dynamics of our cultural realities into consideration. Every fund that the State shall receive for this initiative shall be judiciously applied to achieve clear targets along the three development themes that we are focusing on. Over the past 25 months, we have demonstrated unparalleled prudence in the use of public resources — more has been achieved for every kobo received than what was obtainable in the past and we are still reigning in wasteful spending. On the strength of our excellent managerial records, I can assure you that the inflows expected to be drawn for this project will only serve to consolidate on the gains that have been made in the last 2 years of purpose-driven leadership.
10. I would like to specially thank members of our team who worked through the various ministries, departments and agencies to actualise the ABSIID initiative. Thank you for being attentive to all the details and for bringing a great sense of duty to the broad spectrum of tasks that brought us to this point. Truly, what makes us different from others is beyond political party identities, it is in our orientation to public service, the hunger to make a difference and the willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. We are not driven by the chase for personal gains but motivated largely by a certain desire to build a homeland that the present and future generations of Ndi Abia will be proud of. Thank you for believing in the guiding principles of the administration.
11. Building Abia is a collective obligation and I want to respectfully invite everyone who has something to contribute to come on board. If you have extra funds, invest it here. Do not wait for the conditions to be perfect because fortune only favours those who dare. Invest in Abia and enjoy the benefits of our efforts in security, infrastructure development, improved electricity supply, especially in Aba, and an industrious labour force. Every penny invested here represents a commitment to job creation and economic freedom for our people. Development, like I said at the beginning, is sustained by partnership and as today’s event demonstrates, more is achieved when we come together as partners in pursuit of a common cause.
12. Thank you for listening and may God bless Abia State.

Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR,

July 11, 2025.