Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has reaffirmed that his administration is anchored on meritocracy, stressing that appointments and responsibilities are assigned strictly on the basis of competence rather than place of origin.
Governor Otti made the declaration during the 2025 Alayi Day Celebration and ₦500 Million Fund-Raising for Community Development Projects, held at the Alayi Central School playground in Bende Local Government Area.
The Governor noted that his Government has put an end to the era when Civil Servants were owed years of salary arrears, adding that Abia workers now receive their monthly salaries “on or before the 28th of every month.”
He added that, beyond the regular December salary, Abia Civil Servants also received a 13th-month salary award before December 25, describing the gesture as part of his administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare.
Governor Otti used the occasion to commend his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, a son of Alayi, for standing by him “throughout the struggle from 2014” and for the quality of service he continues to render to the Government.
He also acknowledged the contributions of the Commissioner for Health, Professor Ogbonnaya Uche, another indigene of Alayi, noting that the transformation in the Health Sector under his leadership has earned Abia several National and International recognitions.
Governor Otti pointed out that the State recently emerged as the “Most Prepared State to Handle Medical Emergencies in Nigeria and the South-East,” an achievement that came with a monetary award of $500,000.
He expressed gratitude to the people of Alayi for their consistent support for his administration, assuring them of more dividends of democracy.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Ogbonnaya Uche said that no administration had remembered the people of Alayi as much as the government of Governor Otti, noting that the Governor is not only fixing internal roads in the community but also opening up the entire Abia North corridor for accelerated development.
He disclosed that out of the 200 primary Healthcare Centres currently being renovated and retrofitted in the first phase of Project Ekwueme, 16 are located in Bende Local Government Area, with two in Alayi.
In his remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinard Ekeoma, said the people of Alayi have remained steadfast in their support for Governor Otti, adding that the Governor has “changed the narratives in governance and altered the chequered history of Abia State”.
Describing Governor Otti as “a man of character, conscience and capacity,” Ekeoma assured that the people of Alayi would continue to stand firmly with him as they have done in the past.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Professor Udo Nwokocha, and the President-General of Alayi Development Union Worldwide, Chief Chris Eke, thanked the Governor for identifying with the community, noting that he has, within a short period, redefined governance in the State.
They commended the Governor for appointing sons of Alayi into positions of trust and for executing people-oriented projects, including the rehabilitation of the Amaozara water project, the upgrade of Umunneato General Hospital, and the prompt intervention on the collapsed section of the Alayi–Item Road.
The Governor had earlier attended the house-warming ceremony of Dr Charles Emeka Kalu at Amaogwu Village, Bende Local Government Area.
