Otti urges political appointees to commit fully to new Abia agenda

The two-day First Quarter Retreat for all political appointees in Abia State concluded over the weekend at the International Conference Centre, Ogurube, Umuahia. Organised by the state government under Governor Dr. Alex Otti, the retreat focused on the theme, “Accelerating Progress: Unlocking New Opportunities”, and featured paper presentations and interactive question-and-answer sessions.

In a message delivered to the retreat, Governor Otti charged appointees to serve with dedication and commitment to the new Abia agenda, urging them to focus on initiatives that directly impact the welfare of citizens and the long-term development of the state.

He acknowledged that the administration had made tangible improvements in the socio-economic lives of Abians but stressed the importance of remaining focused amid ongoing political activities.

“The future of Abia must be prioritised over every other consideration. Whatever would derail us from the goals we have collectively agreed must be cast aside. Beware of the political occurrences around us,” Otti said.

The governor noted that 2026 would be a demanding year for members of his cabinet and insisted that no amount of political noise could distract them from the government’s development plans.

“Keep doing your job with assured diligence and firm commitment to the new Abia agenda. This will be a very busy year for all of us. There will be distractions, but no decibel of noise can take our attention away from the developments we are planning in education, health, and other critical sectors, where we are committing sums in excess of one trillion naira in the current fiscal year,” Otti added.

He emphasised that the manner of engagement is as important as the outcomes and called for teamwork among all appointees.

“The value of your office is not determined by your share of the budget but by how your outputs contribute to our overarching development goals. Our infrastructure projects started in the most economically viable locations deliberately to restart the economy after years of dormancy. The impact is beginning to be felt, from landlords and industrialists to artisans in Aba and Umuahia. It is therefore critical to evaluate the reach of investments across our MDAs to guide effective policy responses,” he said.

Earlier, Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Meribeole, highlighted the importance of the retreat in strengthening collective governance. He noted that the progress made since Governor Otti assumed office should not breed complacency and urged participants to engage in strategic alignment, performance evaluation, and teamwork across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

“Governance succeeds not in silos but through coordination. I encourage all participants to embrace new ideas that will strengthen service delivery,” Dr. Meribeole said.

The retreat concluded with a renewed call for political appointees to work collaboratively, ensuring that the state’s development objectives under the new Abia agenda are fully realised.