Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has charged political office holders to embrace continuous learning, collaboration, and self-assessment to sustain the current momentum in governance by his administration, warning that underperformance would not be tolerated.
Governor Otti gave the charge, on Wednesday, while declaring open the Abia State Q2 2025 Executive Council Strategy Retreat at the International Conference Centre Umuahia with the theme: “SustainingtheMomentum: LeadershipinExecution“.
The Governor who noted that the programme is critical and compulsory for every senior official in the public service value chain in Abia, added that outcomes from the retreat drive the whole-of- his government’s transformation agenda.
“Theseregular retreat sessions have been institutionalised to enable us to periodically assess ourselves, measure our progress vis-à-vis the relevant milestones that form the nucleus of our agenda, identify where we may have fallen short, and ultimately determine how to speed up things subject to the availability of resources.
“This programme is critical and compulsive for every senior official in the public service value chain in Abia, because the outcomes drive our whole-of-government transformation agenda”, he said.
Governor Otti who drew inspiration from biblical injunction about the tree that does not bear good fruit, underscored his administration’s zero tolerance stance for mediocrity.
“I need not remind anyone about the biblical injunction about trees that do not bear good fruits. I am sure you can complete that”, he said.
The Governor while commending his team for the progress made so far, stressed that his administration must never measure itself against the mediocrity of past governments but instead uphold higher standards.
He called on participants to take full advantage of the mentorship sessions lined up during the retreat, especially with members of the Global Economic Advisory Council who, according to him, “have graciously offered themselves to help us, given their varied experiences and their expertise.
“If you find yourself consistently underperforming, it is clearly not for lack of opportunities to improve, but rather a conscious choice”, the Governor cautioned.
He reminded participants that leadership is not about perfection but about the courage to “learn, unlearn, and relearn,” and described the learner’s mindset as the best pathway to meet modern governance demands.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Kenneth Kalu, described the theme of the retreat as both an acknowledgement of success and a call to action
Prof Kanu emphasized that leadership in execution is the real test of credibility for any government.
He harped on the need for effective collaboration among government officials and reminded them that while ideas and visions are celebrated, they only achieve meaning through disciplined and collaborative implementation.
The retreat brought together top Government officials, members of the Abia State Global Economic Advisory Council, including the Co chair if the Abia Global Economic Advisory Council, Prof Ms. Aruma Oteh, Mrs Ifueko Okauru Chair M/E Committee, Former ICAN President , Dr Chidi Ajaegbu, and development partners among others.
