THE Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has criticized the state’s state of disarray when he took office in May, stating that his predecessor, Okezie Ikpeazu, had left it in a deplorable situation.
When asked if he met the state in bad form, he said, “Absolutely, very, very bad shape, but I am not complaining.” I have rolled up my sleeves and am simply coping with what I encountered here.”
The governor stated this yesterday on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He noted that, while he was not completely opposed to indebtedness, he did not see how the money borrowed by his predecessor was used.
“My worry is not really about debt, it is about what the debt is used for. If you inherited a debt profile of N34.4 billion by May 29, 2015 and eight years later you ran that debt to about N192.2 billion; I really can’t see anything that you have done with the money, salaries were not being paid, pensioners were being owed, infrastructure was decaying, the place go into ruins, schools were run down completely, hospitals were dilapidated.
“So, the issue is where did the money go? If I am going to take debt, it is going to go into regenerative expenditure. But when you are taking loans and you are running the state into debt, just for consumption, you are not investing in the state; you are not paying salaries; that’s actually what I was talking about.”
Regarding tax collection, Governor Otti stated that his administration has cleaned up the system by discouraging miscreants from collecting taxes for the government.
Adding that it is their responsibility to ensure that no revenue is collected in cash.
“As a government, we do not patronise touts and we have also made it clear that people in Ariaaria market can only pay through the designated banks. Cash payments are no longer allowed. You do not pay for any revenue by cash, you can only pay through the banks,” he said.
Otti also guaranteed the people of Abia that he would complete the train project, which was one of his campaign promises. He added that the government is in conversations with a Chinese corporation, and that the talks are going well.
