“We Met 948 Broken Primary Health Centres” Abia Governor Alex Otti Opens Up on Early Challenges.

When Governor Alex Otti of Abia State took office, he didn’t just find a few problems here and there. According to him, his administration inherited a staggering 948 primary healthcare centres that were completely non-functional.

Speaking at a meeting with a delegation from BudgIT Foundation at his office in Nvosi, Otti made it clear that the health sector wasn’t the only mess he walked into. Education, he said, was in a similar sorry state.

“The environment was filled with rubbish and mess all over,” the governor explained. “We had become the dirtiest state in the country.”

But he says things are changing. By focusing on key sectors and managing resources transparently and prudently, his team has been able to tackle many of these challenges head-on.

For Otti, transparency isn’t up for debate. “It’s not negotiable,” he stressed. “We’ve had to part ways with some people because of transparency. That’s the foundation. Everyone working here must understand that it’s public service, public funding, people’s money. So you must use it well. Transparency sits at the centre of this government.”

Earlier, BudgIT’s global director, Oluseun Onigbinde, praised the governor’s strong commitment to openness and accountability. He said the foundation came to explore a strategic partnership with the state in three key areas: fiscal sustainability, fiscal transparency and accountability, and social investment.

“We encourage government transparency, especially in procurement, fiscal sustainability, and investments in critical social sectors that affect ordinary people,” Onigbinde added.