The Abia State Government says it will commit N5 billion to manpower training and development in the 2026 fiscal year, describing the move as central to sustaining reforms across the public sector and improving service delivery. The commitment was announced by Governor Alex Otti during his New Year broadcast to the people of the state, where he outlined key priorities and expectations for the year ahead.
According to the governor, the investment in training is part of a broader effort to strengthen institutions and ensure that reforms translate into real outcomes for citizens. He explained that the administration will also adjust how workers are deployed across public institutions to ensure efficiency and accountability. “In 2026, we shall commit about N5bn to manpower training and development because, for us, the only guarantee of the sustainability of any public sector reform is the readiness of institutions to effectively interpret and execute their service mandates,” Otti said.
He added that the government would “take steps to redirect the system of deployment in various public institutions; individuals shall only be posted to offices where they can function, create value, and improve general service performance.” The governor said the approach would help eliminate inefficiencies and allow public servants to contribute meaningfully to governance outcomes.
The New Year address, titled Rising to the Opportunities and Challenges of the New Year, marked 31 months since the administration took office. Otti described the period as one of renewed opportunities and used the occasion to restate the government’s commitment to development. “A special day like this offers an excellent opportunity to reiterate our resolve to continue to place the rapid development of our state above every other consideration, because for us, it will always be Abia first,” he said.
Reflecting on past challenges, the governor noted that the new year offers a chance to build on progress already made. “Mistakes may have been made in times past, but the New Year is an invitation to begin again, this time on a clean slate. In the New Year, we shall consolidate the gains of the last 31 months to further expand our system of advantages,” he stated. He also disclosed that 2026 would bring “new levels of commitment to the development of critical transport infrastructure.”
Otti said the administration’s economic outlook for the year focuses on growth, jobs, and productivity. “The New Year holds a lot in store for millions of hardworking men and women, aimed at encouraging investment in productive assets, creating jobs, and increasing our GDP by consistently cutting out the bottlenecks that add to production costs,” he said. He expressed confidence that these measures would strengthen the state’s economic base.
On housing, the governor said residents would begin to see visible progress from January. “From this January, Abians shall begin to see the manifestations of our engagements with federal government institutions and leading private sector players in the real estate sector with respect to expanding housing supply for tens of thousands of families and businesses in the state,” he stated. He explained that the immediate priority is housing for low-income earners, which would help attract institutional investors into higher-end property development.
The governor also outlined plans for the education sector, noting that reforms would continue across primary and secondary schools. “In the New Year, we shall continue our broad governance efforts at transforming primary and secondary education into participatory hubs where pupils’ interactions and teacher-guided insights direct learning,” he said. Part of the 2026 agenda, according to him, is to “restore and upgrade our science and technical secondary schools into centres of excellence.”
Otti announced that the government would introduce stricter supervision in schools from January. “Indiscipline, truancy, and any form of negligence shall have no place in our schools,” he said. He added that, as in 2024 and 2025, the state has committed 20 per cent of its entire budgetary outlay to education in 2026. “Our objective is to consolidate the gains we have made in the last two and a half years in repositioning the education sector for relevance in the new age,” he noted.
Agriculture, the governor said, would also receive special attention. He disclosed that the state concluded the development of a farmers’ database in the past year using modern technology to link farmers with farm assets. He described the initiative as a foundation for targeted support and improved productivity across the sector.
Social investment was another focus of the address. “In the New Year, generous provisions have been made to provide social and economic support to our women and mothers through relevant organs of government,” Otti said. He added that youth-focused programmes would continue, noting, “We shall also continue to invest in programmes that enhance the competitive abilities of our youth, offering them the edge they need to function in today’s highly competitive environment.”
Looking ahead to national politics, Otti described 2026 as a crucial year as preparations begin for the next general elections. He urged eligible citizens to participate in the Continuous Voter Registration exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission. He also addressed security, describing Abia as one of the safest states in the country. “Abia will remain off-limits to anyone or groups whose actions are inconsistent with the laws of the land,” he said, warning that “any reckless act will be met with the full weight of the law.”
The governor concluded by calling for cooperation from all economic actors, stressing the importance of civic responsibility. “Payment of taxes is therefore an investment in the growth of your business, because what you pay is applied to making the environment conducive for your continued growth and expansion,” he said.
