Dear Governor Alex C. Otti


Happy New Year!


In your new year speech, you once again lied to Abians that you were 'utterly shocked to find that there were pensioners who had been owed since 2014'. Governor Alex C. Otti, this is a blatant lie to deceive Abians. 


On page 55 of the 2022 Accountant General Report of Abia State, published by your own government and signed by your Accountant General on July 30th 2023, it was clearly shown that Abia retirees have not been paid their retirement benefits since 1999 when Orji Uzor Kalu came to power. As at 1998, only 1 retiree in Abia was owed. 


Your friends and partners - OUK & TA Orji never paid any pensioner their gratuities, Ikpeazu continued in their footsteps. The mistreatment of Abia pensioners via non payment of pensions and gratuities clearly started with OUK.  You have equally refused to pay pensioners till today. As I write this article, over 60% of Abia retirees have not received their monthly pensions since you came to power, yet on National TV, Twitter and Lagos newspapers, you have paid all of them. My mum and several people I know are examples of those who completed verification several months ago, but are yet to receive N1 since May 2023. 


The few you have paid are paid less than 40% of their monthly pensions, but you spent over N10bn of Abia's resources on yourself in the 3 months of July to September 2023, including over a billion on refreshments, meals and luxuries. We are tired of being told that you are any different from OUK, TA and Ikpeazu, when the financial report you published tell otherwise.


Again, we all understand that Ikpeazu failed to reach the heights Abians expected of him, but your continuous lies against him to make everyone believe that Abia's problems started in 2015 is not only shameful, but getting boring. You cleverly tried to make us believe that retirees started having challenges in 2014 at the end of TA's government, but you failed to cover yourself in glory as usual. The report you published on 30th July 2023 shows clearly that this problem started since OUK.


Governor Otti, you were a member of the PDP until 2014 when TA refused to give you the ticket of the PDP. You were equally Abia's banker from OUK to TA's tenure, I assume that you knew the things done against Abians during that period, including starving of retirees, but you chose to keep quiet. We are not daft. You never spoke up until you lost the 2015 elections.


Again, you lied that verification of retirees was concluded last week. No sir, verification of retirees was concluded some months ago. My mum was among the last batch that were done via WhatsApp as they were not around. Despite completing their verifications, you have not paid them a dime as pensions,. and have been telling them that you are having issues with their banks.


As expected you have shifted the goal post for paying them to end of March 2023. I personally never believed that you would pay by 31st December 2023. Considering the N547m you spent on propaganda in Q3 2023, Abia may have lost over N1bn at the end of December 2023 on Lagos newspapers and TV stations, for fake publicity that you were gonna pay retirees by December 2023. 


1. Imagine where you had used the N5.32bn you spent on running yourself in Q3 2023, towards paying retirees?

2. Imagine where you had used the unaccounted for N2.8bn you claimed for Security Vote in Q3 2023 for paying retirees? 

3. Imagine where you had used the N1.103bn you spent on whatever you called Housing in Q3 2023 in paying retirees.

4. Imagine where you used the N297m you spent on whatever you called Water Scheme in Q3 2023 in paying retirees?

5. Imagine where you had spent a fraction of the N1.75bn you used in Q3 2023 for purchasing, maintaining and fuelling cars people don't see on Abia roads, in paying retirees?


Governor Otti, you have spent 7 months out of 48 months in power and you are still blaming Ikpeazu, when you were a big stakeholder in the PDP failure of 24 years, at least you participated for 16 years. 


It is time to go back to your manifesto to start delivering on the promises you made to Abians, which you continue to renege on daily. 


Lest you forget, informed Abains have not forgotten the bad record you set in Q3 2023, by being the Governor with the highest cost of governance in Nigeria, despite Abia being the State with the lowest earnings in the country.


Informed Abians are getting tired of your lack of direction and blame games.


I will write you a New Year ear letter in the coming days.


Till then, stop the blame games and START GOVERNING!


Eks

Eke O Ako

01.01.2024

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