Business
Otti’s Midas Touch leads Abia to greatness
…State ranks third fastest growing economy in Philips Consulting index rating
By Ori Martins
Governor Alex Otti’s incredible performance in Abia State has launched God’s Own State into the national and international orbit. The state hitherto placed as not just one of the poorest but also one of the most backward in the country recently emerged third fastest improved state in Nigeria. This was the submission and published report of the 2026 Philips Consulting State Performance Index (pSPI).
The Abia State commissioner of information, Prince Okey Kanu, noted that the ranking meant that all the sacrifices and labour of the Otti – led administration was not in vain. He commended the governor whom he described as visionary, hardworking and people oriented.
According to coordinator of the Good Leadership and Governance Series, Dr. Charles Ogugbua, The recent ranking of Abia State as the Third Most Improved State in Nigeria, is indicative of the massive infrastructural transformation across all nooks and crannies of the state, providing enabling environment and ease of doing business in the state, made possible by His Excellency, Gov Alex Chioma Otti, OFR”.
Abia scored +0.67, placing behind Enugu State (+1.15) and Jigawa State (+0.77), respectively.
According to the information commissioner, “Abia State has once again recorded a significant milestone on the national development stage, emerging as the third fastest-improving state in Nigeria in the 2026 Philips Consulting State Performance Index (pSPI), a recognition that underscores the remarkable transformation taking place across the state under the administration of His Excellency Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR.
“According to the 2026 Momentum Index, which assessed the rate of progress made by 33 states during the review period, Abia recorded a positive momentum score of +0.67, placing it behind only Enugu State (+1.15) and Jigawa State (+0.77), while ranking ahead of Osun, Kano, Gombe, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Lagos, Imo, Anambra and several other states.”
He added: “The Momentum Index measures how far each state has advanced relative to the national average, with positive scores indicating faster-than-average progress and negative scores reflecting slower rates of improvement”.
Kanu observed that “Abia’s impressive performance demonstrates that the state’s ongoing reforms and development initiatives are yielding measurable and nationally recognized results.
“The latest ranking reinforces growing evidence that Abia is undergoing one of the most rapid transformations in the country, driven by strategic investments in critical sectors including infrastructure, education, healthcare, digital innovation, security, public sector reforms, agriculture, and economic development.”
Given the people oriented projects and the prudent manner Otti has been piloting the affairs of the state, particularly from the angle of due process, procedure and even with good conscience, Abia’s position in the latest ranking is a confirmation of Otti’s commendable performance since his assumption of office.
As Ogugbuaja said, the quality construction of major road networks and the establishment of Smart Schools across the state to reforms in governance, revenue administration, industrial revival, youth empowerment and investment promotion, the state’s development agenda continues to attract national attention and independent recognition.
Only last week, Otti’s good governance attracted Mrs. Tinubu’s N2b lifeline donation to Akwete Women. This is not just empowerment. It is a pathway to industrial revival.
As Ogugbuaja enthused, that gesture would improve the cloth industrial activities in the area.
According to him, “To us in the Good Leadership and Governance Series With Dr. Charles Ogugbuaja (GLGSWDCO), it did not come to us by surprise, when we heard on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, that the wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen Oluremi Tinubu, CON, on a state visit, and in a landmark compassion, donated whopping N2 billion lifeline to the age- long Akwete Women Weaving Cooperative Society in Ukwa East Local Government Area (LGA), of Abia State. This empowerment gesture would facilitate the cloth production matrix of the cooperative society, bringing succour, cascading to an extent in reducing unemployment and economic upliftment effect”.
He added, “We unequivocally take this position because the good leadership and governance provided by the workaholic Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Gov Alex Chioma Otti, are stretching and being felt in all conners of the country. Good news flies. Such has brought presidential goodwill far away from Aso Rock.
“In January 2025, President Bola Tinubu, during his official state visit to Enugu State, spotted Gov Otti, and spent some quality minutes to talk about the good leadership and governance the Abia State Governor was providing for Abians and Nigeria at large, in less than two years, then, despite that the governor was not in the ruling party. Invariably, President Tinubu, was telling other governors and Nigerians that one could showcase his best in public administration without belonging to the party at the centre. Gov Otti, unlike others, has never used uncomplimentary words against President Tinubu, despite their political divide. That is leadership by example we are emphasizing.
“So, the N2 billion lifeline donation Mrs. Tinubu made, signified that she took the comments of her husband in Enugu serious, and taking the lead in making such huge donation as never done in any part of the country, to support the administration of Gov Otti, to move Abia State desirably, forward”.
On the wonderful cultural transfer which has lasted for centuries and its dynamic economic development, Mrs. Tinubu, said, “I am here to announce to all Nigerians, the Igbos should take Akwete to the Nation. I tell her (Abia First Lady), you all wear and tie Asooke. Why not wear Akwete? It’s a beautiful fabric. And those are the things that they have to modernise.
“But for me, and for all the notable sons of Igbo land, it’s not only Abia State, but all the other Igbo lands, rise up to the occasion to preserve this.
“On my own, I told the Governor, I’m donating Two Billion Naira to the project. I don’t know how you want to use it.”
She continued: “Otti is a good man. He’s a very good man. And I see that. And I want to thank you so much, Your Excellency. Yes! I invited myself. I remember when I was calling you, looking for your wife too, concerning Akwete, but I thank God we are here today.
“This was supposed to be just a short visit to see these women. And it turned out to be the entire State came to welcome me. I am humbled. And I thank you, Your Excellency. You kept calling and you wanted to give the best.”
An aspect of Otti’s commendable governornance was his inclination to the establishment of Abia Smart Schools which commentators and scholars say it is revolutionising basic education in God’s Own Country state.
According to Dr Ebere Uzoukwa, Otti’s aide on Public Affairs, “Education is the most enduring investment any government can make because it shapes the character, competence and future of its people. Governor Alex Chioma Otti understands this fundamental truth. His Smart School initiative is absolutely a strategic investment in human capital designed to transform public education, prepare young learners for the digital age and secure Abia’s future competitiveness”.
Uzoukwa added, “The commissioning of the second Smart School at Umuomaiukwu, coming barely two weeks after the inauguration of the first at Ubakala, demonstrates that the initiative is not symbolic but a carefully executed education reform. With twenty Smart Schools planned across the seventeen local government areas, the administration is steadily expanding access to quality, technology driven education for thousands of children in both urban and rural communities.
The vision behind the initiative goes far beyond constructing modern school buildings. As Governor Otti explained, the schools are deliberately designed to replace rote learning with experiential learning, stimulate critical thinking, encourage creativity and expose pupils to emerging technologies that prepare them for a knowledge driven global economy”.
Equipped with digital classrooms, artificial intelligence enabled learning tools, virtual reality technology, uninterrupted internet connectivity, renewable energy and highly trained teachers, the Smart Schools represent a complete redefinition of public basic education. They ensure that every child, regardless of location or social background, has access to a learning environment that meets global standards.
One of the initiative’s greatest strengths is its emphasis on inclusion and excellence. By making education free in the Smart Schools and promising scholarships and other incentives for outstanding pupils, the Otti administration is removing financial barriers to learning while creating a culture that rewards diligence, innovation and academic excellence.
Beyond improving learning outcomes, the Smart School initiative is laying the foundation for Abia’s long term economic transformation. Governor Otti appreciates that the prosperity of the twenty first century will depend less on natural resources and more on the capacity of citizens to innovate, solve problems and create value. Today’s Smart School pupils are therefore being prepared to become tomorrow’s scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers, medical professionals and technology innovation.
