Revenue from extractive industries working in Abia, NEITI confirms
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Members of the Board and Management of Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) say they are satisfied that the revenue Abia State was deriving from oil, gas and mining was being put to good use by Governor Alex Otti.
They gave the verdict after touring some completed projects after their strategic two-day retreat held in Umuahia.
Roads, streets and markets in Aba toured by the team included Port Harcourt road, Aba-Owerri road, Emelogu street and Ariaria market, among many others.
The Executive Secretary and National Coordinator of Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative in Nigeria, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, and the other board members, after the tour, extolled Governor Otti for his sterling performance.
They told journalists that they were amazed at access roads provided by the Governor, particularly in the various markets and streets in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of the South East.
Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, while explaining the nexus between NEITI’s work and the tour they embarked upon, said revenues from the extractive industries were working in Abia.
He said: “We are not politicians, we are technocrats and the connection between the work we do, and what we have seen is clear.
“Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative is about encouraging governments at federal, state, and local levels to use the revenues from oil, gas, and mining to address national development and reduce poverty.
“When you get money from oil, gas and mining, what did you use it to do? How did you deploy it to connect with the people?
“I have seen that the revenues from oil, gas and mining is working in Abia state at the moment.”
He noted that “because Abia is an oil-producing state and we have seen that there is a strong linkage between what Abia is getting currently from the national treasury and the efforts to provide solid social infrastructure for the people of Abia State.”
“The Governor of Abia state has done well, in my view. I’ve seen, and this is not speculation, where I’m standing now is Port Harcourt Road, which I learned that the President of the country might be coming to commission anytime soon.
“The last time I was here, I really wept because the last time there was a connection between government and this city that I know extremely well, was Sam Mbakwe era.
“We drove around Ariaria, and I saw the citizens’ reaction with the government of Dr. Alex Otti. All I can say is that I am speechless and profoundly delighted, proud of what I have seen he has done in the last two years,” Dr. Orji. added.
The Alternate Chairman of NEITI and member representing North Central on the board, Ambassador Sunday Adoli, shared his excitement over the Governor’s performance.
“The Governor is doing quite well. The resources he is getting are being translated into the practical development of the state. Permit me to say that he is performing very well.”
Adoli said he is equally happy with the rapport existing between the Governor and President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
“Like you know, our principal, President Bola Almed Tinubu, is doing a very good job for the country. He thinks Nigeria, walks Nigeria.
“He is doing his best and deserves all the support. In fact, I am happy that the Governor (Otti) has a lot of regard for him, ranging from what he told me and told us publicly and that is how collaboration should be,” he said.
Also, a NEITI board member and President of Miners Association of Nigeria, Mr Dele Ayanleke, representative of Civil Society, Dr Erisa Danladi and Dr. Loveth Ononuga, who represents the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS,) on the board, all commended Governor Otti and rated him high in service delivery.
They said that they were excited by what they have seen in Abia, adding that what the Governor was doing translates to what they have been advocating, which is people-centered approach to governance and urged him to sustain his good works in the state.
