By RismadarVoice Media
January 1, 2026
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has announced that the state government will commit ₦5 billion to manpower training and development in the state civil service in 2026 as part of efforts to sustain public sector reforms, improve service delivery.
The Governor disclosed this on Thursday, during his New Year broadcast, where he stressed that the sustainability of any reform in the public sector depends largely on the capacity of institutions to properly interpret and effectively execute their mandates.
Otti said his administration has already introduced a new work ethic across ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) through multiple layers of incentives aimed at boosting productivity and accountability.
He noted that beyond improving workers’ welfare, the government has invested significantly in programmes that enhance competence, expose employees to modern tools, systems, and accelerate overall productivity.
According to him, arrangements have been concluded to establish a dedicated training and retraining centre for public sector workers in the state.
“In the light of this, I an glad to announce that arrangements have been concluded to set up a dedicated centre for the training and retraining of the staff of various public sector establishments to improve their skill-set, disposition to service,” the Governor said.
He also announced plans to reform the deployment system in public institutions to ensure optimal performance.
“In the New Year, we shall also take steps to redirect the system of deployment in various public institutions; individuals shall only be posted to offices where they are able to function, create value, improve general service performance,” Otti stated.
The Governor explained that the policy of placing the right persons in the right offices would strengthen the administration’s capacity to deliver results tied to the rapid socio-economic development of Abia State.
Beyond civil service reforms, Otti said his administration would consolidate the gains of the past 31 months by expanding road infrastructure and transportation development to reduce transport fares, lower production costs, increase employment opportunities, boost economic activity across urban and rural communities.
He disclosed that the recently launched mass transit scheme, powered by energy-efficient buses, is expected to significantly cut commuting costs, especially as more buses are added to the fleet.
“Our target is that by the end of the New Year, we shall have 100 electric buses covering all the major urban, semi-urban routes in the State,” he said.
Otti added that 2026 would also witness renewed commitment to the development of critical transport infrastructure, including the completion of multimodal transport terminals and several strategic road projects.
According to the Governor, these initiatives are designed to ensure the seamless movement of people, agricultural produce, industrial raw materials and finished goods, thereby stimulating investments, creating jobs, increasing the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The grand objective is to encourage investments in productive assets, create jobs, and increase our GDP by consistently cutting out the bottlenecks that add to production cost,” he said.
