Dear Governor Alex C. Otti
Ever since I was born in Abia Nigeria, the performance of successive Abia Governments has always been measured by the same few roads you are rehabilitating today at unknown costs.
Since you came to power, Abia has earned N161bn from FAAC, IGR & Capital Receipts, while Ikpeazu left you N3.5bn in the banks (according to your KPMG Report & your government’s published budget implementation reports) and $50m RAMP loan for reconstruction of roads in Aba and Umuahia.
Former Governor Ikpeazu was also able to secure for you $116m loan from African Development Bank, and $125m loan from Islamic Bank. Overall, you have access to over N400bn in your first year to develop Abia.
Your government has guaranteed N50bn loan for Craneburg Construction Company, and N15bn loan for Ferotex Construction Company, which Abia Government probably has started repaying based on the 42 months repayment Agreement signed between your Accountant General and Access Bank in September 2023.
You have equally borrowed N35bn from Access Bank to settle outstanding debts owed UBA and Zenith Bank by Abia Government, to activate the transfer of Abia’s FAAC & IGR accounts to Access Bank. Your government has also borrowed N45bn directly or indirectly from Union Bank last year. No Abia Governor has had access to such luxury amount of funds you have in 1 year in their entire 4 years tenure.
In the next 7 days, you would be 1 year in office, and our expectations are very high, considering the unprecedented cash inflow into the state.
To ensure that that you are not taken unawares, I have put together, a few parameters that we shall be using to assess your performance. NOTE – WE WILL NOT MEASURE YOUR PERFORMANCE BY ROADS REHABILITATION OR CONSTRUCTION.
We will be measuring your performance using the following parameters:
1. EDUCATION
a) Improvement in Abia’s Education System.
b) Improvement in Education Infrastructure (Number of schools built/rebuilt)
c) Number of Teachers trained.
d) Improvement in Teachers’ Welfare (improvement in wages and allowances)
e) Percentage reduction in number of out of school children
f) Percentage increase in the number of public school attendance.
g) Modernization of the learning systems/digital learning
h) Measurable support for tertiary institutions
2. HEALTH
a) Measurable Improvement in Abia’s health system
b) Improvement in Health Infrastructure (Number of hospitals built/rebuilt)
c) Number of Health Workers trained
d) Improvement in the welfare of health workers (improvement in wages and allowances)
e) Percentage Reduction in Infant & Maternal Mortality Rate
f) Percentage Reduction in Adult Mortality Rate
g) Modernisation of the health system/digitisation
3. TRANSPORTATION
a) Length of roads CONSTRUCTED & Cost
b) Length of roads REHABILITATED & Cost
c) Length of roads MAINTAINED & Cost
d) Modern Transportation Hubs Built
e) Percentage reduction in road accidents
ECONOMY
a) Improvement in Abia’s Aggregate Demand or GDP
b) Government Policy for growing the economy
EMPLOYMENT
a) Number of jobs created
b) Reduction in unemployment rate
c) Reduction in underemployment rate
d) Reduction in Poverty Rate
TRADE
a) New Trade agreements signed /partnerships entered with other entities
b) New Trade Destinations negotiated for Made-in-Abia products
c) Decrease in Abia’s trade deficit with other states.
COMMERCE
a) Number of businesses supported
b) Types & cost of support provided to Abia SME’s.
c) Number of Market Infrastructure built/rebuilt.
INDUSTRIALISATION
a) Number of new industries that have started operations in Abia
b) Partnerships signed with investors to extract Abia’s natural resources
c) Industrialisation infrastructure provided
d) Industrialisation Policy
e) Evidence of improvement in volume of goods produced in Abia
FOOD SECURITY
a) Specific support provided to Abia farmers
b) Number of new agro-based companies that have started operations in Abia
c) Number of partnerships entered with agro-based companies.
ENERGY SECURITY
a) Measurable support provided to power supply companies in Abia.
b) Government’s investments to enhance power supply in Abia
SOCIAL WELFARE
a) Government schemes to support unemployed Abia Youth
b) Care for the elderly & vulnerable groups
CIVIL SERVICE PRODCUTIVITY
a) Improvement in Civil Service Productivity
b) Capacity Building – Training of Public Servants
c) Digital Transformation of governance processes
d)Modernisation of office infrastructure (new offices built/ existing offices refurbished)
e) Improvement in the welfare of public servants (improvement in wages and allowances)
ENVIRONMENT
a) Evidence of conversion of waste to wealth
b) Sustainable Waste Management initiatives
SECURITY
a)Security Measures implemented
b) Percentage reduction in Crime Rate
EFFICIENCY IN GOVERNANCE
a) Reduction in Cost of Governance
b) Transparency in Governance especially Procurement/Contract awards
c) Improvement in accountability
d) Improvement in Efficiency Ratios (Utilisation of Abia’s resources to create value )
e) Improvement in IGR with respect Manifesto promise
f) Respect for the Rule of Law
g) Percentage reduction in Abia’s Debt Profile
ELECTRICITY
a) Number of houses connected to the electricity grid
b) Number of villages & communities provided with electricity
c) Number of transformers donated to villages & communities
d) Number of kilometres of High-Tension Electricity infrastructure projects completed
e) Number of kilometres of Low-Tension Electricity infrastructure projects completed
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
a) Number of houses connected to the state’s water grid
b) Number of ongoing water projects
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
a) Conduct of LGA Elections
b) LGA Financial Autonomy
c) Number of projects being carried out by each LGA
I hope the above will help you to provide Abians (your employers), MEASURABLE RESULTS of your leadership and use of our public funds to create value for us in the last one year.
We will provide an independent assessment of your performance as the day approaches.
All the best in your anniversary.
Your fellow citizen, & partner in Abia’s development
Eke O Ako
Cc.:
1. Kazie Uko, CPS to Governor Alex C. Otti
2. Dodoh Okafor, SSA on Media Communications to Governor Alex C. Otti.
