During the swearing-in ceremony at the Government House’s Banquet Hall, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State emphasized his administration’s firm stance against corruption and non-performance.
Out of the 19 Commissioner nominees forwarded to the State House of Assembly for confirmation, 16 were cleared as three were unavailable for screening. Governor Otti urged the newly sworn-in Commissioners to prioritize the state’s interests above all else, emphasizing that they must not provide any excuses for failure.
Otti said: “You have not been appointed to represent the interests of individuals or clans. You must therefore spend your waking hours thinking about the entire state as a single constituency; made up of men and women who yearn for better opportunities to advance themselves economically and socially.
“Do not betray the trust of our people who have remained patient and loyal to our course by toeing the same path that brought Abia to the sorry state we met it.
”The privilege of your appointment must never be seen as an opportunity for self-enrichment or advancement of unwholesome interests. There would be zero tolerance for any of those.
“We are here to work for the whole state and anyone who entertains any doubts about that may have found himself in the wrong room.
“The New Abia we are currently laying its foundations shall be one where the interests of the whole state supersede the selfishness of any individual or entity.
“We have our work cut out for us and I am already aware you have some ideas of what is expected of you in your new roles.
“Our state is not in a good place on several important frontiers and our people are in a hurry to start seeing changes, especially as it relates to the things that matter most to them.”
