My four-day peregrination in God’s own state

 

Last weekend, from Thursday, May 28 to Sunday, May 31, 2026, I was in Abia State on an official assignment. I flew from Abuja to Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in Owerri and did the 1 hour 30 minutes trip from Owerri to Umuahia by road. It wasn’t my first time in the state whose moniker is” God’s own State” but I haven’t been there in about 15 years. Meanwhile, I have heard so much about Governor Alex Otti’s magic in the state and looked forward to seeing things for myself; after all, it is said that seeing is believing!

Information gleaned from the website of the Abia State Ministry of Information shows that Abia State  was created on August 27, 1991, following the division of the former Imo State. Its capital is Umuahia, while Aba is its commercial nerve center. The area now known as Abia has long been a center of commerce, craftsmanship, and agricultural production.

Aba, the state's major commercial city, has been a beacon of entrepreneurship since colonial times. The city became famous for its role during the Aba Women’s Riot of 1929, a major protest against British colonial taxation policies led by Igbo women. Today, Aba is known for its vibrant markets, especially the Ariaria International Market, one of the largest and most famous in West Africa, often dubbed the “China of Africa” for its locally manufactured goods, particularly in textiles, leather products, and footwear.

Recall the exploits of Enyimba FC of Aba in the history of sports development and achievements in Nigeria.  Enyimba Football Club won the African Champions League in 2003, becoming the first and only Nigerian club to do so. The club wrote its name in gold when it successfully defended the title in 2004. The Club is now one of the prominent football clubs in Africa and the most successful in Nigeria with more than 5 million fans worldwide.

Abia is predominantly inhabited by the Igbo people, and its residents are known for their strong cultural identity and entrepreneurship. The state is renowned for Akwete cloth, a traditional textile unique to the Akwete people in the Ukwa East local government area. Ekpe and Masquerade festivals are integral parts of the state's cultural heritage, reflecting the rich traditional beliefs and practices of the people.

Abia is bordered by Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States. The state is an important player in oil palm production, yam, cassava, and vegetable cultivation. Apart from agriculture, Abia is also rich in crude oil and gas, contributing to Nigeria’s petroleum industry. Prominent Abians include the first head of state of Nigeria, Major General JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi. He ruled Nigeria from January 15 to July 29, 1966.  Another illustrious son of Abia is Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara who was one of the leaders of National Council of Nigeria and The Cameroons and Premier of Eastern Nigeria during the First Republic, from 1959 to 1966. At 39, he was the nation's youngest premier. He was a strong advocate of what he called "pragmatic socialism" and believed that agricultural reform was crucial to the ultimate success of Nigeria.

My last week’s visit to Abia coincided with the third anniversary of the Governor Alex Otti’s administration.  His election in 2023 was not without drama as the Returning Officer for the gubernatorial election in Abia State, Prof. Nnenna Nnannaya-Oti, the first female Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri claimed she was put under intense pressure and financial inducement to rig the 2023 governorship election in Abia State against Alex Otti. She resisted the pressure and made the right declaration. In recognition of that feat, last Wednesday, the governor named the newly completed Umuahia Central Bus Terminal, a multimodal transport facility in the state capital after the virtuous woman.

In the course of my last week’s visit to Abia, I traversed several local governments and communities in Umuahia North and South, Isiala Ngwa North and South and Aba North and South. I also interacted with journalists, members of the civil society, traders, community and religious leaders as well as politicians. I was in Ariara International Market last Friday where I bought some Ishiagu (the iconic lion-head patterned fabric and traditional attire of the Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria) and caps and last Sunday, I was at the National War Museum in Umuahia. I have also digested the anniversary lecture titled “Governance as Dignity: Three Years of Impact and of Shaping the Future of Abia State and Beyond” delivered by Prof.   Chidi Anselm Odinkalu.

In summary, many of the people whom I spoke with lauded the government of Otti in the area of infrastructural development, security, sanitation and Solid Waste Management as well as Human Capital Development. They said he blocked revenue leakages and set up Treasury Single Account and has refused to oil the patronage of sharing state resources with anonymous god fathers. They said he has employed more teachers and health workers and he’s using 20 per cent of the state’s budget to fund education and 15 per cent to fund health. They also said he pays salary and pension promptly to Abia workers.

For instance, Odinkalu in his lecture said “Around the State, many point to tangible evidence of a turnaround in the fate of Abia State engineered under the current administration. They count the evidence mostly in the quantity of projects in such areas as: urban regeneration in the State capital, Umuahia and in the industrial hub of Aba; fiscal rectitude in the form of clearing longstanding salary and pension debts (this claim is being disputed);  major infrastructure works, especially in the road network - with a remarkable mileage already done and many more on the brink of joining them, bringing the state to close to 1,100 kilometres of roads paved over and asphalted in the first three years of the present administration (e.g., Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Abiriba Road, Port Harcourt Road in Aba; the Aguiyi-Ironsi Boulevard); and  inter-generational investments, such as captive power on Aba.”

On the flip side, some of the people I spoke with argued about opacity in the procurement and contract award system of Otti’s government. They claimed there are still issues with the payment of backlog of pension and gratuity he inherited from the previous administration. They accused the state assembly of not performing proper oversight on the governor and reducing themselves to mere “rubber stamp”. They cited the lingering crisis with the judicial workers who recently embarked on two months strike.  They also said that Local Government in Abia State are not performing as the state agencies have usurped the roles and functions of the local government. Interestingly, LG Chairmen in Abia have been rechristened Executive Mayors. I do hope the governor can govern with greater accountability and transparency.

In the immortal words of Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, “The south-east is small enough to become a governance incubation model. If we can turn this zone or region into a model of good government underpinned by sustained investments in dignity, enterprise and innovation, Nigeria could yet turn or return to the region to ask it to do at the centre the capabilities that we prove in these parts, not as an act of love but as a mark of respect and of self-preservation. But if we are unable to do so, our case will not lie in our mouth nor in our hands. This, I argue, is ultimately the challenge that Governor Alex Otti presents us with.”

I.G: @jideojong