Abia State Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering commitment to fiscal transparency, accountability, and responsible governance.
Governor Otti made this known on Tuesday, May 12, while receiving a delegation from @BudgITng Foundation, a leading civic organisation dedicated to promoting public finance transparency, accountability, and active citizens’ participation in governance.
Speaking during the meeting in his office, the Governor stressed that transparency remains a non-negotiable principle of his administration, noting that prudent management of public resources is critical to building trust between government and the people.
“The issue of transparency is not negotiable. And, we have had cause to part with people because of the issue of transparency, because that’s the foundation. So, it’s not even a matter to discuss. It is taken for granted that everybody working here has to be transparent.
“It’s public service, public funding, people’s money. So, you must use them very well. I can tell you for sure, and for free, that the issue of transparency sits in the centre of this government,” Gov. Otti emphasised.
The State Chief Executive assured the BudgIT delegation that he is ready to partner with the organization to promote transparency in governance, saying that their engagement with the State, even before the visit, is applaudable. “You can be sure that we’re happy to partner with you because it also helps to learn.”
Responding to the issue of fiscal sustainability, Governor Otti noted that taxation for him, “is the government’s share of the prosperity it has created amongst its populace,” revealing that, in the last three years, his government has not been aggressive in IGR because of the kind of structure he met on ground.
“Infrastructure was virtually non-existent. Education was at its lowest level. Health care was like, you are telling stories. When we got in here, there were 948 Primary Healthcare Centres, none of them was working.
“The environment was completely filled with rubbish and mess all over the place. We became the dirtiest State in the country.
“So, the first thing that you want to do is not to tax the people. It’s actually to create the environment for them to breathe and for their businesses to do well. And, when you have done that, then you can now come to make a claim. People don’t give you what they don’t have.
“So, we are not in competition in that area of fiscal sustainability. We have our targets, we’ve not met them. Last year was 120 billion; I think we ended up with about 70 billion. This year is 220 billion. I’m not sure we will hit it but we keep making progress.
“At the back of our mind is, are people happier than they were yesterday? Are their business working better today than they were yesterday? Are our children able to go to school vis-à-vis what happened yesterday? If our people are sick, do they have somewhere around them that they can get a primary attention than what it was yesterday?” Gov. Otti stated, adding that those are the things that matter most to him.
Earlier, the Global Director of BudgIT Foundation, Oluseun Onigbinde, commended Governor Alex Otti for his strong commitment to transparency and accountability in governance.
Onigbinde explained that BudgIT Foundation is dedicated to promoting sound public finance management, fiscal transparency, and accountability in public service. He disclosed that the delegation came to Abia State to seek strategic partnership with the State Government in three key areas – fiscal sustainability, fiscal transparency and accountability, as well as social investment.
According to him, the organisation’s core objective is to encourage governments to uphold the highest standards of transparency, particularly in procurement processes, fiscal sustainability, and investments in critical social sectors that directly impact the people.
Also speaking, the Country Director of BudgIT Foundation, Vahyala Kwaga, praised Governor Otti’s reform-driven leadership, noting that, Abia State has recorded remarkable progress in the organisation’s fiscal transparency index, moving from 17th position to 4th place within just two years.
In his words “Just looking at the state of States’ 2025 edition, which we will formally present to you, Abia came fourth overall. And I think that’s something that should be commended.
“We want to see Abia continue to lead on this. Abia State moved from 17 to 4th within a period of two years,” Kwaga stated.
The Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Uwaoma Ukandu, Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Kingsley Anosike, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Accountant General of the State, Mrs. Njum Onyemanam among other government officials were present at the event.
