Only a Governor desperate for public validation stages grand receptions three years into office while his counterparts across the country are commissioning meaningful, people centered legacy projects.
Instead of delivering real results, Governor Alex Otti seems fixated on optics and perception, using state resources to orchestrate weekly gatherings of rented crowds, all in the name of popularity.
This spectacle in Aba, featuring residents of Old Bende clapping on cue, is a poor substitute for real governance. Let’s be clear: governance is not about parading people in markets to sing your praises; it’s about tangible progress like roads, schools, healthcare, economic growth. Ask those smiling in the photos of the said reception to name one concrete, government led project in their communities, the silence will be deafening.
Where are the projects in Old Bende? Provide the list, and I’ll show you how much has been allocated to that region in the last two years both from the state and federal levels. Shockingly, less than 5% of those funds have translated into actual development on the ground. Old Bende, in truth, has received just 1% of federal backed interventions, yet its people are rented to play cheerleaders while their basic needs remain unmet.
To make matters worse, the few visible road projects and infrastructure in Old Bende are remnants of past APC led interventions not the current administration. It is insulting to see elderly citizens and struggling youths whose hopes still rest on federal or non state programs being used as political stage props in orchestrated receptions.
Governor Otti, it’s time to shift from performance to substance. Other governors are building hospitals, launching tech hubs, investing in agriculture, and driving infrastructure you’re still throwing parties. Stop marketing governance with paid applause. Lead with real projects, not staged praise.
We need practical governance in Abia and not media equip governance seen in our dear state of Abia.
Iheonu Chukwuemeka Astrus writes from Umuahia
