TAKING STOCK, LOOKING AHEAD…
Being the Text of an Address by Governor Alex C Otti, OFR, at the 2024 Special Retreat for Members of the Abia State Executive Council and Senior Appointees of the Government Held at Panyu Hotel and Resort, Aba on Friday, September 27, 2024.
Protocols
1. For many of us, this particular auditorium has come to represent a learning theatre, a place where excellent plans are laid, questions are asked and clarity established. Shortly after our victory in the 2023 general election, the best brains and thinkers from different parts of the country and beyond assembled here to plot our governance trajectory. We returned in August 2023, a few weeks after we took office, for the first round of retreat for those who had been selected to drive the execution of the programmes of government.
2. Our focus in 2023 was to develop a robust understanding of the intricacies of the public sector and its peculiarities. The choice of resource persons, including former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, Arunma Oteh, OON, Ben Akabueze, and Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, was informed by our commitment to interact with the best and get ourselves prepared to deliver excellence across important frontiers of governance.
3. In a speech titled “From the Drawing Board to the Field of Play,” I made it clear that we are a very ambitious Government, noting that excuses shall not be accepted to justify failure. I also spoke of an enduring commitment to create systems that work for everyone, a governance architecture that is service-oriented, and a team of senior officials that understand the expectations of the ordinary people. I charged us to focus on delivering on the promises that won us the overwhelming support of the Abia electorates who retained very high hopes that we shall use the levers of power to effect a holistic turnaround in their economic and social fortunes.
4. Today we have reconvened at this same ground to take stock, to identify what has worked and how well, what needs to change and also talk to ourselves for the purpose of learning and growth. Some personnel changes have been effected in the last one year as we seek to get the best out of every governance frontier. So, for some of us, it is our very first retreat but for others, this event is a continuation of a routine we introduced in 2023. Wherever you belong, the aim is the same: we want to take a moment out of our regular routines to relax and then learn new insights.
5. On this note distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me formally welcome you to the 2024 Special Retreat for senior government functionaries in our dear State. Thank you for making all the sacrifices to be here. I want to specially thank those who had to cut short their holidays to be part of this retreat. We had actually made it mandatory for all concerned officials because of the importance we attach to the exercise. It is therefore important that everyone participates actively and learns from the resource persons we have carefully assembled to support us with their exceptional knowledge and experience.
6. Let me very respectfully thank our resource persons for joining us for this important assignment. Thank you for offering to support our governance transformation agenda. We are eagerly looking forward to learning from your presentations. For today and tomorrow, we shall all be pupils in your classroom and will submit willingly to your pedagogical authority by taking notes and asking questions as appropriate. Let me plead on behalf of everyone that you generously indulge our innocent ignorance.
7. In the last 16 months, we have made very important strides in a number of strategic areas but we are hungry for more. Sincerity in self-appraisal is a major hallmark of our administration. We want to build on the gains of the last retreat to improve governance outcomes through a more effective distribution of public resources, structured revenue generation and tracking process, and the application of technology and data for effective and robust decision making.
8. While it is fair to acknowledge the modest success we have recorded, I would, however, want us to dwell more on the areas where we have not done exactly well in line with our laid out strategic framework. To be clear, we have deliberately set the bar very high to insulate us from the trappings of mediocrity. We want to wake up each morning with a fresh resolve to do better, to work harder and to achieve more. The hunger to be the best has informed our pattern of appointments and the leverage given to each official to drive their strategic outlook in pursuance of the broad vision we had laid out at the beginning of this important project.
9. At the same time, we are also cautious not to overreach ourselves. The resolve is to give our best everyday, appreciating that we do not have what it takes to solve all the social and economic problems around us. What we ask of ourselves is to be deliberate in the things we do, purposefully inspiring changes, engineering excellence and building a dynamic team to support the vision in our various spheres of influence.
10. Changing the mind-set of the people and making it impossible for them to ever accommodate mediocrity in public affairs ever again is our ultimate pursuit — to set higher governance benchmark and make the ordinary people the guardian of the new standard. That, I can tell you, is the only path to sustained growth.
11. At any rate, we shall do our best but must also strive to find balance between what we want to do today and the template we leave for future generations, taking proper cognizance of available resources and competing needs. This retreat weekend has been carefully structured to provide clarity on what we can do to achieve consistent progress over the medium to long term.
12. Do not forget that we have clear priorities even as we continue to adjust to new, unexpected realities and external events we did not create but which nevertheless impact our ability to deliver on the set targets. We want quality education for pupils and students in all our public schools from primary to tertiary. On health, we want to have the best healthcare delivery ecosystem in the region. What do we want in the transport sector? My idea is simple and that is to build a system that provides safety and reliability for commuters at affordable cost at all times. On agriculture, we are focused on food security, job and wealth creation for everyone connected to the agricultural value chain.
13. Our generous infrastructure outlay is designed to stimulate the economy and attract investors who will in turn employ willing hands in rural and urban communities. We are very deliberate about what we seek to achieve with our investments in road infrastructure which explains why we started from the cities with the highest volume of economic activities, and then the agricultural belts. We are determined to revive the old production centres and create new economic corridors for investors seeking to take advantage of our large markets and abundant labour force.
14. I am impressed with the quality expectations from many of us and I align with all of them. Additionally, I shall be looking forward to better collaboration and openness by the time we return to work on Monday. While I agree that there may be productive tension from time to time, I expect all of us to work in synergy with each other, provide necessary support to colleagues and offer guidance where needed because if you are here, the assumption is that you care more about the State than individual credit.
15. In addition to team work, I would also want to see a new culture of openness. Freely discuss your concerns and take them up with team members including me if need be. We are presently working out a structure that will allow for more regular interactions with other appointees outside members of the State Executive Council. This is expected to happen at least once a month as that could also be an opportunity to interact and share ideas. More on this will be communicated as soon as we conclude the arrangements.
16. Going forward, work-life balance shall be taken more seriously for all appointees because we need to stay fit and balanced to keep delivering quality governance results. Only one exception is allowed to exist here! I believe that we shall hear more from the health experts in the room to guide us on how to develop new health consciousness in our lifestyle choices, especially as public officials who should be models of excellence in the way we live.
17. Let me now invite you to sit back and settle in for what promises to be a learning marathon. Thank you for listening and may God bless you.
Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR,
27/09/2024