Why I’m running govt from private residence – Gov Otti
By Jeffrey Agbo
Abia State Governor Alex Otti has explained that he runs the government from his private residence because the Government House is in ruins and would require significant funds to renovate.
Otti said on Saturday during his monthly media chat tagged, Governor Otti Speaks to Abians, that he would fix the Government House but that in his scale of preference, schools, roads and hospitals come first.
He said his priority remains the delivery of results to the people of the state and not where he operates from.
Otti said, “You are worried that I am not operating from here. I don’t think you should worry about that. The important thing is that I’m operating.
“Abians want to see activities, not where the Governor is operating from. Where I live is not as important as having good roads in Aba and Umuahia and other Local Government Areas in the State.
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“It is not as important as ensuring that Aba and Umuahia particularly are kept clean on a 24-hour, seven days basis. It is not as important as ensuring that our people have good hospitals and accessible schools to go to.
“It is not as important as ensuring that our schools are fixed. Those were the areas I declared state of emergency on. I didn’t declare emergency on Government House and where the governor will live.
“So, what the issue is is that this Government House is important but not as important as some of the things that I mentioned earlier.
“When I inspected both the Governor’s Lodge and the Governor’s Office, they were in terrible states of disrepair and vandalism.
“Renovating them requires significant funds, but I considered it more urgent to channel those resources into infrastructure, security, health, environment and education.
“I can assure you that in no distant time, since we are taking care of those important areas, we will come here and the Government House.
“We don’t have time. We are in a hurry. So, we have to do so many things at the same time.
“Before you know it, the four years is over and you will be wondering what happened.”
