Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State has revealed that his administration within 15 months in office cleared N90 billion out of the N191.2 billion debt inherited from the previous administrations without borrowing, News About Nigeria reports.
The Governor also revealed that the state recorded $159 million in foreign direct investment between June 2023 and June 2024.
Otti made the revelation on Thursday during a media parley organised in Umuahia, the State capital.
Speaking on his administration’s achievements, the governor noted that aside from paying up part of the inherited debt, they have been consistent in the payment of salaries and pensions as well as other financial obligations of Government.
He said, “I inherited N191.3 billion from my predecessor in May 2023. My predecessor inherited about N35 billion from his predecessor in 2015. But today, my administration has paid over N90 billion of the debt we inherited.
“We still pay salaries and pensions every month. And I have not borrowed a Kobo from anybody. The achievements you see today are a product of prudent management of scare resources.”
Giving details on the foreign investments in the state, Otti revealed that Abia has moved from the 27th position to the 3rd position in the states with highest foreign direct investment.
According to him, they were able to achieve this feat because his administration put in place the necessary infrastructure that would attract investors.
“We saw the need to lay the foundations upon which investment drives would stand. And that is why a lot of investors are now coming into the state. Investors don’t listen to platitudes, they look at actions. Without any campaign, we have had investors coming to set up their investments in Abia,” Otti stated.
