Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has reiterated that his administration will only resort to borrowing when necessary and strictly for investments that generate economic returns, not for recurrent expenditure or unsustainable spending.
Governor Otti made this known on Tuesday during a welcome dinner organised by the Abia State Government in honour of the Abia State Global Economic Advisory Council. The dinner also marked the commencement of the Government’s 2025 mid-year retreat for political appointees.
Reacting to allegations by the opposition that his administration has been borrowing to run the State, the Governor pointed to the recent Debt Management Office (DMO) report which showed that Abia topped the list of States that reduced their debts between March 2024 and March 2025.
He noted that Abia has reduced its public debt exposure by 57.20 per cent within the period under review, describing the development as the highest reduction nationwide.
“The Debt Management Office (DMO), a Federal Agency put Abia first among the States that reduced their debts between March 2024 and March 2025.
“According to the DMO report, within the period under review, Abia reduced its public debt exposure by 57.20%, the highest reduction across the country.
“There is nothing wrong with criticizing the Government, but you must criticize with facts. Opinions are free but facts are sacred.
“Some people have come out to say that we are borrowing, they are lying. Did I borrow from them? I saw a report yesterday that says that 26 out of the 36 States have actually reduced loans in the last 12 months and Abia came first, having reduced its debt profile by 57.20% in one year”, he added.
Governor Otti however, clarified that the State was not averse to responsible borrowing when the need arises.
“So, when we say we have not borrowed, we know what we are talking about. But that we have not borrowed doesn’t mean we will not borrow. We will borrow when we need to borrow.
“We will borrow for investments that are regenerative. We will not borrow to eat. We will not borrow to consume. We will borrow for capital expenditure”, the Governor asserted.
Governor Otti also used the occasion to address speculation that he was planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or join any coalition of opposition parties and dismissed the rumours as baseless.
“I will just spend a few minutes talking about what some members of the Global Economic Council have been asking me. One of them is the report about five Governors decamping to APC.
“I am still a member of the Labour Party and I’m not looking for where to decamp to.
“The second point is about coalition, and a lot of people have been asking me, are you a member of the coalition? And, my response is, have you seen my name? Have you seen me attending the coalition meeting?
“We are just busy doing the work that Abia people have given us. So, we are not attending any coalition meeting, I have not attended any one and nobody has invited me”, he clarified.
The Governor restated his administration’s commitment to providing the right environment for Abians to thrive through critical infrastructure, not handouts.
He said: “Those who don’t want to do things right have no business in this Government. People making noise about stomach infrastructure must understand that Abians are not people who believe in handouts but are hard-working people who just need the enabling environment, like good roads and clean surroundings, to succeed”.
He revealed that his government would soon embark on projects to restore potable water supply to parts of the State adding that government would soon flag off water projects in Umuahia, Aba and other parts to the State.
“We want to get to that level where you open your tap and you have public water running. In the next few weeks, we are going to flag off the water project in Aba around CKC. There is also another one in Umuahia and a lot of other places. We will get there”, he assured.
The Governor also disclosed the establishment of a Project Implementation Bureau, headed by Mr. Onyinye Nwosu, an Abia indigene who left his job with General Electric (GE) in Canada to contribute to the State’s development.
Earlier in her remarks, the Co-Chair of the Abia Global Economic Advisory Council, Prof. Ms. Arunma Oteh, described it as an “absolute pleasure” to serve the State, noting that Abia is now truly number one “not just in alphabet but also in performance”.
The event which featured the cutting of a cake to mark the Council’s first anniversary, was attended by members of the State Executive Council, political appointees, and leading members of the State Advisory Council.
