Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has announced that the state government intends to take out loans to fund the 2024 Budget.
He mentioned that the Islamic Development Bank has already approved $125 million for the state. Otti shared this information during a conversation with journalists in Umuahia, the state capital.
Additionally, he mentioned that the African Development Bank has also approved funds for the state.
The governor said, “Two days ago, the Islamic Development Bank approved the sum of $125m for us under AB Seed, as well as the African Development Bank, AfDB. All is yet to be drawn until after perfection.
“We have received offers of loan from commercial banks, but we have not drawn on any of them. We do not want to draw loans until we need them and will repay when we have liquidity, and we will pay later.”
The governor reassured workers that his administration has not reneged on its promise of wage awards or salary increases. He mentioned that there is already a committee in place to address this matter.
“We had promised that by the end of this month, we will resolve the lingering pension issues. In our executive council meeting today, we had some resolutions, and soon, pensioners will be settled,” he said.
According to him, the local government accounts are not tampered with, stating, “Mayors are grading roads and building health centres. I don’t know where else they are getting the money from.”
On infrastructure, the governor said, “Abia will continue with our massive road rehabilitation, light up Abia, improvement in the health system and the resolve to retrieve education system that has been going down”, adding that 170 primary schools and 51 secondary schools have been earmarked to be rehabilitated so that at the end of the year, all schools will be fully rehabilitated.
He said the state government has designed the best models for Abia schools so that “the Abia standard schools will look a certain way.”
He mentioned that teachers who have received training will educate students on topics relevant to the 21st century, such as the internet, renewable energy, and digital technology. This will help Abia students be competitive on a global scale.
Additionally, the state government will guarantee that teachers have the necessary quality and skills to educate students by providing them with the appropriate training. He stated, “We have received lots of support from multilateral agencies. We are not alone. ”
He mentioned that they will keep enhancing healthcare services in the state. Additionally, he highlighted the various initiatives in place to address food security and mentioned that efforts are being made to ensure all lands in Abia are cultivated this planting season.
