Abia State Governor Alex Otti has promised to prosecute anyone found guilty of mismanaging or embezzling pension funds in the state.
The governor made this statement during the November edition of his monthly media chat, which was held Thursday night at the Government House in Umuahia.
Otti revealed that recent investigations uncovered cases of pension fraud involving some civil servants. He emphasized that the government is committed to thoroughly investigating and holding those responsible accountable to restore integrity within the civil service.
“I am sure you would have heard some reports about some civil servants who were involved in pension fraud.
“We have zero tolerance for corruption; once we got convincing information, we had to arrest the people involved.
“Coincidentally, the opposition went on air to castigate the government. My question is somebody stole, and I arrested him, and you went to the press to say that I shouldn’t arrest a thief; that means you are a thief yourself.
“I think we have responded to them, and we are continuing with their prosecution,” Otti said.
He stated that he received an investigative report from the security agency handling the case and has authorized the arraignment of those involved in the coming days.
Regarding healthcare, he announced that the government will soon begin rehabilitating primary healthcare centers (PHCs) to enhance access to quality healthcare services.
“I have just signed off the reconstruction of about 200 primary healthcare centres in the three senatorial districts and 17 local government areas.
“When we are done with the approved 200, we will move to the next 200 until we have touched every primary healthcare centre,” the governor said.
He added that the government has started rehabilitating 22 secondary healthcare centres across the state.
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Addressing road construction, Otti shared that contracts have been awarded for the reconstruction of several roads to boost socio-economic development in Abia. The roads include the 5.5-km Onuimo-Abia Tower Road, the 29-km Onuinyang-Okporoenyi-Oboro-Ikwuano Road, the 11.5-km Ntigha-Mbawsi-Umuala Road, and the 11.1-km Obehie-Umudobia-Owaza Road.
Other projects are the 11.7-km Mbala-Umuaku-Ngodo Road, Umuogo-Nsukwe Ring Road, 13-km Ohanze-Ntighauzo-Obete-Umuoha-Obende-Akirikaobo Road, and the 6.92-km Umuopara Ring Road.
On agriculture, he announced that funds have been approved for the 300 Abia youths sponsored by the government for training in advanced agricultural practices.
Otti reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to infrastructure development and capacity building to drive growth across various sectors of the state’s economy. He noted that the government has also made significant strides in improving the ease of doing business in Abia.
“The National Bureau of Statistics published a report that showed that our state came from number 27 in terms of attraction of foreign investment to number three out of 37, immediately following Lagos and Abuja.
“We think between June 2023 and June 2024, our state attracted almost $150.9 million to place third,” he said.
Otti expressed his determination to continually work towards creating an enabling environment that will make Abia a choice destination for investors.
(NAN)
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