By Chibuike Nwabuko
UMUAHIA (PRECISE POST) – Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has directed the immediate acceleration of plans for the flag-off of the proposed Aba commercial smart city, describing the project as a potential game changer for the commercial hub of the state.
Otti gave the directive on Friday at the Government House, Umuahia, during a meeting with the leadership of the Aba Commercial Smart City project.
The Governor charged the project partners to fast-track their plans and move the initiative from the drawing board to implementation.
He also directed the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Public-Private Partnership and Investment Promotion Office, Mr. Chinedu Chijioke, to work out the details and facilitate the state’s movement towards the formal flag-off of the project.
Otti stressed that his administration would not embark on projects it could not complete, insisting that Abia had built a reputation for delivering projects it commenced.
“We have been on this Smart City project. As the Ultimate Commander himself said, after the last meeting, we needed to move from the drawing board to implementation,” the Governor said.
According to him, funding remained critical to translating the vision into a tangible project.
“The only way to implement a project is when there is funding. You can have beautiful visions; they remain visions. They can’t be a project until there is money. I am happy that we are at that point where a lot of efforts have been made,” he said.
Otti urged the project partners to expedite their preparations so that the flag-off could take place, adding that the commencement of construction would enable residents to begin looking forward to its completion.
“In Abia State, we don’t have abandoned projects. Any project that we cannot see to delivery does not even kick-start. So, that’s the reputation we have built, and we are not going to depart from it,” he said.
The Governor described the Smart City project as a potential game changer for Aba, noting that the initiative aligned with global trends towards technology-driven and smart urban development.
“It promises to be a game changer if we deliver what we had discussed earlier. That’s the direction the world is going — technology, everything smart,” Otti said.
He assured the project partners of his administration’s willingness to do everything possible to fast-track its implementation.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Aba Commercial Smart City and former Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said the project had the potential to restore Aba to its former glory.
Nebo commended Otti for his administration’s achievements, saying the Smart City project, alongside other initiatives of the Governor, could leave a lasting legacy.
“This vision will bring back Aba. This project alone, in addition to the myriad of things you, Gov. Otti, have done, will have your name engraved. This is a project that all of us need to support,” Nebo said.
He also commended the state’s PPP and Investment Promotion Office and other members of the Abia State Government for what he described as their professionalism.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Aba Commercial Smart City and former Inspector-General of Police, Sir Dr. Mike Okiro, alongside the project’s Founder and President, Ambassador Osita Offor, said they were at the Government House in response to the Governor’s earlier directive to present a financially realistic position on the project.
They disclosed that, through their financial adviser and partnering banks, they were presenting an initial N20 billion for the project.
The project leaders thanked Governor Otti for providing the necessary support and enabling environment for the initiative.
Precise Post recalls that the meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff to the Governor and other members of the Abia State Executive Council.
