Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has revealed that his administration has so far spent about N14.43 billion on the retrofitting of 61 public schools across the state as of June 2025.
The governor made this disclosure during his monthly media chat tagged “Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians,” which was held on Friday at the Government House, Umuahia.
He explained that the huge investment in education is part of his transformational agenda to improve infrastructure and learning conditions in public schools.
Governor Otti’s comment came in response to questions arising from a statement credited to opposition politician Eze Chikamnayo, who had demanded accountability over funds allocated for school renovation.
The governor dismissed the claims and insisted that his government has been transparent in handling public finances.
He explained that the figures published on the government’s official website are accurate and noted that those raising doubts fail to properly understand how accounting systems work.
According to him, “There is something called state S. F. A. S. It is a programme by World Bank which requires states to publish their budget performance. What is budget? Budget is an estimate. So these things are very simple. But at the end of the day, what is important is what is the cash that has been spent.”
Governor Otti stated that the audited financial statement of Abia State as of December 31, 2024, clearly shows the expenditure details. He pointed out that the administration has put strong financial measures in place to ensure accountability.
“What this government does is that before we hand over money to you, we must collect an advance payment guarantee. So at any point in time, if you are working for us, your money must be in our hands and not the other way round. So if you take a walk, you know you will lose money,” he said.
The governor stressed that no funds are missing from the state’s accounts as alleged. “So when somebody goes to town and says 54 billion is missing, unfortunately for him, he is talking to the wrong people.
When you look at this government, at least 3 or 4 members of the Executive Council are fellows of the Institute of Chartered Accountant.
So if you want to take on this government, it should not come from numbers, particularly for a man who doesn’t understand numbers,” Governor Otti declared.
Governor Otti also used the opportunity to address allegations made by Eze Chikamnayo, a former Commissioner for Information in the state. He said that Chikamnayo’s criticisms are politically motivated and linked to his past attempts to gain favor with successive governments.
“So to Eze Chikamnayo, I have a message for him. This is a different government. And my response to his request that came at the beginning of this administration remained the same. The person he sent to me, oh he wants to be part of this government, I told him no. And the answer is no. So we have followed him. He has been part of every government since 1999. In 2007, he started blackmailing the governor at that time and they called him and gave him jobs,” Otti explained.
The governor further noted that his government would not succumb to blackmail or intimidation. He accused the opposition figure of having a long history of seeking personal benefits from those in power.
“So if he likes, let him hang on the transformer. This government would not call him. So he said I should do a video. I checked the records and I found out about 5 or 6 schools are being done in Umunneochi as we speak. He should come home and see them. If he is not afraid of coming home,” the governor said.
Otti made it clear that he would not go out of his way to prove his government’s achievements to critics. “I should not do a video. Why should I do a video and prove to him that I am working in his local government? No, he should come. I should not stay in Abuja. And if he comes, please somebody should also tell him not to forget to also visit the university where he claimed he read law. I am also working there. And to the people that sent him, first of all they sent the wrong person,” the governor added.
Governor Otti also alleged that Chikamnayo was sponsored by individuals with political interests to hold press conferences against his administration. He described the move as unfortunate, saying the sponsor relied on someone who lacked credibility.
“A man without credibility. You don’t need to send him to go and talk about it. And in any case they may not have found a man with credibility to come and talk rubbish,” he said.
The governor said his administration will not be distracted by opposition attacks or resort to backdoor negotiations.
“Because people keep quiet, they think they can get away with anything. You blackmail him, they will call you for discussion. I will never call you (Chikamnayo) for negotiation. Never. So maybe you need to set up another structure,” Governor Otti emphasized.
The state government maintained that the billions already spent on education infrastructure are visible in the ongoing retrofitting of schools across different local government areas. According to Otti, the project is part of a larger plan to ensure that Abia’s education system is modern and competitive.
