Budget: Otti pledges massive infrastructure development
- Signs 2025 budget into law
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, while assenting to the state’s 2025 budget of N750,282, 200,000 into law on Friday, December 27, 2024, promised that his administration would continue to do those things that would take Abia out of poverty and filth and relentlessly build infrastructure.
“We can assure you that this government has its eyes on the ball and will continue to do those things we promised our people that will take this State out of poverty; that will take this State out as one of the dirtiest States like it was in 2023,” the Governor said.
Governor Otti also said that the budget would give his government the impetus to continue to deliver on its promises to Abians.
“This budget that was passed is a budget that will give us the impetus to continue to fire on all cylinders to ensure that our people are living a good life,” he said.
The budget, christened “A budget of Sustained Momentum,” according to the Governor, is so named because it is the second budget his administration is rolling out.
“When we say sustained momentum, we know that we have taken off and the challenge is to continue because the easiest thing to do is to accelerate and de-accelerate,” he explained.
Governor Otti explained that a 18 percent was allocated to Recurrent Expenditure despite the challenges of higher wages occasioned by the implementation of the new national minimum wage and regular payment of pensions; but allocate 82 percent of the total envelop to Capital Expenditure.
He said that this demonstrates his push for infrastructural development.
“Our push for infrastructural development is demonstrated in this budget because when you have capital expenditure over 80 percent, it speaks to what you want to do with infrastructure, things that would out-last all of us,” he said.
The Governor said that some of the projects that kicked off in 2023 would be delivered in 2025, including Port Harcourt road in Aba, Umuahia – Uzuakoli -Abiriba – Ohafia road, the Ohafia – Arochukwu to the Ini boundary, the Okobo -Abam- road, the Omenuko bridge, Nunya road and others that have been awarded or flagged off, among other projects such as hospitals and schools.
He commended the lawmakers for giving the bill an accelerated hearing and passage.
“I want to thank specially, the members and the leadership of the House for doing such a thorough job in record time. I want to commend you for being thorough. That’s actually what our government is about.”
“We pride ourselves as a serious-minded government, so anything we present, we are ready for scrutiny, and I want to thank you for a great job you did in scrutinizing the budget, disagreeing in a few areas, and also being flexible enough to accept when reasonable responses are given,” Otti said.
While presenting the budget to the Governor earlier, the Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, described the 2025 Abia Appropriation Law as a very aggressive budget.
According to him, with the budget, Abia would continue to grow from strength to strength, as he assured that the lawmakers would continue to work with the executive arm of the government to see that Abia State progresses.
