Benjamin Kalu Blasts Otti Over Poor Governance, Says Abia Deserves Accountability Not Propaganda
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu has accused Governor Alex Otti’s administration of mismanaging Abia’s ₦38 billion monthly revenue, neglecting workers, and replacing governance with propaganda. The statement highlights alleged failures in transparency, debt management, and infrastructure delivery.
The Office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has accused the Abia State Government of failing in governance and replacing accountability with propaganda.
This follows a statement released by Ferdinand Ekeoma, Special Adviser on Media to Governor Alex Otti, which attacked Kalu over his remarks on the performance of the present administration.
Speaking to members of the Renewed Hope Partners (RHP) in Umuahia, Kalu had stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would take over the governance of Abia State in 2027, citing the Otti administration’s poor performance despite huge financial inflows.
In a detailed rebuttal issued on Monday, the Deputy Speaker’s office insisted that Governor Otti’s government had failed to match its revenue with tangible development across the state.
According to the statement, Abia State received an average of ₦38 billion monthly in Q2 2025 from FAAC allocations, internally generated revenue, and federal interventions. The report, sourced from the Abia State Government’s own financial publication, showed over ₦114 billion accrued between April and June 2025.
Despite this, the Deputy Speaker’s office said the state remained visibly underdeveloped, with bad roads, unpaid pensions, and decaying schools and hospitals.
“The government cannot deny the figures it published,” the statement read. “Abia receives ₦38 billion monthly, yet the people have nothing to show for it.”
The Deputy Speaker dismissed the government’s defense that exchange rate fluctuations hindered progress, describing it as an excuse for inefficiency.
“States like Enugu, Anambra, and Imo are executing signature projects under the same economic conditions,” the statement said. “Abia’s problem is mismanagement, not exchange rate.”
The statement also criticized the government for failing to pay gratuities since June 2023, despite receiving almost ₦1 trillion in various funds. Retirees, it alleged, were forced to forfeit ₦70 billion in entitlements.The rebuttal accused the Otti administration of neglecting workers, saying that the Abia State Teaching Hospital still pays ₦29,000 as salary, while nurses earn ₦80,000, far below the ₦340,000 benchmark implemented in other states.
“Governance without empathy has become the order of the day,” the statement said. “Workers are owed, intimidated, and poorly treated.”
Kalu’s office also raised questions over a $263.8 million African Development Bank (AfDB) loan and a $125 million Islamic Development Bank facility approved for Abia. It said the funds had no visible impact on infrastructure or economic growth.
“No landmark or strategic project has been executed with these loans,” the statement declared. “If properly utilized, Abia should not still be battling collapsed infrastructure.”
The statement accused the Otti administration of focusing more on media image-making than development, describing its weekly photo ops and media productions as “theatrics.”
“The government celebrates imaginary achievements while ordinary Abians suffer,” it said. “Governance has become a show instead of service.”
The Deputy Speaker reaffirmed that his comments were patriotic, not political, adding that the APC was determined to win Abia in 2027.
“With ₦38 billion entering its coffers monthly, Abia has no excuse for failure,” the statement concluded. “The people deserve transparency, accountability, and results. The era of deceit is over.”
