Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to eradicating discrimination based on ethnicity within the state.
Otti made this statement on Saturday in Aba during the wedding ceremony of Clement Owunna Jr., son of the Chief Executive Officer of Starline, and his wife, Chinelo.
He emphasized that Abia State welcomes people from any tribe as long as they pay their taxes, effectively recognizing them as sons and daughters of the state.
Otti praised Clement Owunna for his contributions to the state’s socioeconomic development through strategic investments.
He said: “I told myself, I have stayed here and become a very successful Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. But by the time you retire, there might be no home to return to. So, I sacrificed that job and struggled for nearly ten years, and today, we are here.
“What you see in Abia State in the last 19 months is just a dress rehearsal. You haven’t seen anything yet. I’m not boasting; I know what this state can achieve.
“The first thing we abolished was the concept of ‘state of origin.’ If you live here, you are from here.
“Recently, I appointed someone as the Head of Service of the State. Some people said he is from Edo. I don’t know about that. He came here in 1999 through the National Youth Service Corps, distinguished himself as the best Corps member, and was retained in the civil service.
And now, someone wants to tell me he isn’t from Abia State?
“We are building a model state. No matter the criticism, we remain focused and determined. If you visit Aba in the next year, you might not recognize it.
“Nearby, there was an abandoned project called Enyimba Hotel. Soon, you might see a Radisson Blu on that site, with a conference center beside it and a leisure park across from it. This is our home, and we must fix it.”
Otti thanked the people for their support and assured them that he would use the state’s resources solely for its development.
