RismadarVoice Reporters, May 23, 2026
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has disclosed that his administration has constructed 414 roads spanning about 864.12 kilometres across the state within the last three years.
The governor also revealed that the state’s debt profile has been reduced by about 60 per cent since he assumed office in 2023.
Otti made the disclosures on Friday during his monthly media interaction, “Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians,” held in Umuahia.
According to him, the roads executed by his administration were built with street lights and drainage systems to improve infrastructure and urban development across the state.
“We are consistent in terms of delivering street lights with the roads and, of course, drainage,” Otti said.
He added that many of the completed projects would be commissioned from next week, while another 82 roads measuring about 212 kilometres are currently at different stages of construction.
The governor further stated that the state government had significantly reduced its debt burden.
“We have been able to reduce our debt profile significantly by about 60 per cent, from about N191 billion in 2023 to less than N50 billion at the end of 2025,” he said.
Otti also highlighted improvements in fiscal transparency and accountability, noting that Abia moved from 17th position in the BudgIT State of States report in 2023 to fourth position in 2025.
“These are independent rankings. It just gives you an idea of how the government is being run,” he added.
The governor revealed that his administration had identified and recorded assets allegedly acquired illegally as part of reforms aimed at strengthening accountability in governance.
On environmental sanitation, Otti said the state now evacuates about 13 tonnes of refuse weekly and has created over 2,000 jobs through the Abia State Environmental Agency.
Speaking on transportation, he disclosed that more electric buses would arrive in the state by July, while the new Umuahia bus terminal would be inaugurated on May 27. He added that charging stations are being installed in Umuahia and Aba to support the electric bus initiative.
In the area of land administration, Otti said the government had signed 4,707 Certificates of Occupancy, which he described as more than the total issued in the state between 1999 and 2023.
He also announced the completion of a new Abia Master Plan developed in partnership with UN-Habitat, alongside the digitisation of land records with over four million documents scanned into the system.
On education and healthcare, the governor highlighted the construction of smart schools, recruitment of teachers, and ongoing reforms in tertiary institutions including Abia State University, ASCETA and Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic.
He disclosed that 821 healthcare professionals had been recruited, with 771 already deployed to hospitals and primary healthcare centres across the state.
According to him, over 93,000 residents have enrolled in the state health insurance scheme, while 277 primary healthcare centres have been retrofitted, including 77 supported by the World Bank.
“Out of the 277 healthcare centres retrofitted, 200 were handled by the state government while 77 were supported by the World Bank. So far, 121 of them are fully functionalised,” Otti explained.
He added that reconstruction works are ongoing at General Hospitals in Ikwuano, Arochukwu, Okeikpe and Ohafia, while major upgrades are also taking place at tertiary health institutions in Amachara, Abia State University Teaching Hospital and Umunneato.
The governor assured residents that his administration would remain focused on restoring the dignity of the people through infrastructure development, fiscal responsibility and human capital investment.
