Gov. Otti gives legal backing to Abia State’s 25-year development plan

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has signed into law and formally unveiled the Abia State 25-Year Development Plan, which will guide the State’s policy, budgeting, and resource allocation from 2025 to 2050.

The plan is a dynamic, holistic framework that captures Abia’s resource advantages, current development status, and long-term aspirations. It provides for a comprehensive review every five years, allowing flexibility to recalibrate priorities in response to major socio-economic changes. Sources note that the plan is effectively a review of the previous administration’s now-obsolete 30-year plan, which largely focused on the aftermath of COVID-19. The new plan was developed through extensive consultations with traditional rulers, youths, women, civil society groups, development partners, and members of the Abia Global Economic Advisory Council.

Speaking at the International Conference Centre, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, Governor Otti described the plan as a binding legal framework that will safeguard the State against policy reversals by future administrations. He captioned his address “Mapping the Future” and emphasised that the plan goes beyond a mere policy proposal.

“What we have unveiled is more than a proposal. It is a binding law that this administration, and those to succeed it, are obliged to follow over the next two and a half decades. The New Abia Project is our collective responsibility. The future of Abia is now mapped, and I will ensure we do not depart from this path,” he said.

Governor Otti stressed that development requires deliberate planning, discipline, and legal backing. He noted that volatile economic realities had rendered the previous 30-year plan, launched in 2020, obsolete:

“In 2023, a dollar exchanged for less than ₦500. Then it almost reached ₦2,000 before settling at around ₦1,400. Plans based on previous rates were no longer viable. The new development plan is a realistic and dynamic framework reflecting changed global and local fundamentals, recent economic reforms, and Abia’s accelerated development trajectory over the past 30 months.”

From 2026, the State’s annual budgets and project implementation plans will directly derive from this development framework, making it the benchmark for progress in sectors such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, transportation, housing, water and sanitation, and the environment. Governor Otti also revealed a major fiscal shift, aiming for self-sufficiency in recurrent expenditure through internally generated revenue (IGR), while dedicating all external receipts to capital projects.

The Governor acknowledged the contributions of development partners, including UNDP, PIND, Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE), PwC, and the Abia Global Economic Advisory Council.

In a goodwill message, UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, represented by Ms. Maureen Okoro, said Abia’s 25-year plan aligns with UNDP principles of evidence-based planning, strong institutions, inclusive growth, sustainable finance, and human development. She reaffirmed UNDP’s readiness to support implementation, monitoring, and review through data-driven systems, innovative financing, inclusive governance, and institutional capacity building.

PIND representative, Mr. Chuks Ofolue, noted that while the plan is a focused review of the previous 30-year framework, effective implementation, continuity, and civil service capacity-building are critical to its success. PACE Strategy, Institutions and Policy Advisor, Mr. Obibuaku Ordu, described the plan as a clear demonstration of Governor Otti’s resolve to transform Abia into a hub of innovation.

Earlier, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Kingsley Anosike, said the plan builds on the Otti administration’s first 30 months, which he described as a period when focused leadership compressed years of development into months. He noted that reforms in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and civil service have renewed public trust and provided a strong foundation for long-term planning.

The 25-year plan aligns with global frameworks, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, ECOWAS Vision 2050, and Africa’s Agenda 2063, and is structured around six strategic pillars: fiscal strength, industrialization, human capital development, climate resilience, governance reform, and private sector engagement.