Otti assures of complete recovery of Aba, as Catholic Diocese of Aba honours him
Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, Umuahia
Abia State Governor Alex Otti, vowed to complete the recovery of Aba the commercial hub of the state with the flag off of the reconstruction of Uratta and Old Express Roads Linking the Aba to other neighboring states.
The governor spoke on Sunday during a special Mass at Christ the King Catholic Church, organized by Catholic Diocese of Aba to celebrate and honore him.
Otti thanked the Church and its organs for the rare and generous endorsement and pledged to continue working for the people of Abia State in the fourth year of his administration.
He said, “Even if you pay the Catholic Church a billion dollars, they will not do the wrong thing. This is your government and we will never disappoint you.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet. We have just dealt with hygiene issues, cleaning up the environment, roads, water, etc. We are now focusing more on Healthcare, Education, Technology, Industrialization and others.
“We will soon embark on the complete recovery of Aba by flagging off the reconstruction of Uratta Road and Old Express. Any project we can’t find the money for, we don’t start. We have found the money. It is in the bank, and the flag-off will happen soon,” Governor Otti stated.
The Governor also promised support for the ongoing Catholic Men Organization secretariat Project and other projects by Catholic Women Organization and
Catholic Youth Organization representing the men, mothers, and youths of the Church.
Earlier in his sermon, the Bishop of Aba Diocese, His Lordship, Most Rev. Professor Augustine Ndubueze Echema, said leadership and power must be about the people.
Taking his text from Matthew 9:36, he noted that our Lord Jesus Christ was moved with compassion for the crowd because their leadership had failed them.
Likening Otti to a leader with passion and pity for Abia people, the Bishop declared that the Governor needs no campaign for his second term in office.
“We have a man of integrity and nobody needs to campaign for Governor Otti. His works will campaign for him.
“You are worth supporting. This is the first time the Catholic Diocese of Aba is honoring a Governor,” Most Rev. Professor Echema said.
He thanked Otti for wiping the tears of Abia people and for proving that the government is truly about the people. The Bishop also urged all Catholic faithful to take advantage of the ongoing voters’ registration exercise and obtain their PVCs to exercise their civic responsibility during elections.
The three prominent organs of the Church – CMO, CWO, and CYO – in their remarks, thanked the governor for his excellent and people centered leadership. They described him as a “silent achiever” who has touched the lives of ordinary Abians, especially in Aba, recalling the years of suffering due to lack of access roads before his emergence. Each organ presented the Governor with special gifts.
The mass was attended by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba; Chief Reagan Ufomba and his wife; members of the Abia State House of Assembly; Mayors, Commissioner for Culture, Arts and Creative Economy, Hon. Mathew Ekwuruibe, among other top government officials.
Photo: Gov. Otti in a group photograph with some Catholic priest during the mass