2024 is year of consolidation of gains made in past 7 months of our administration–Otti
BEING THE TEXT OF A SPEECH DELIVERED BY GOVERNOR ALEX OTTI TO NDI ABIA ON JANUARY 1, 2024, TO MARK THE CELEBRATION OF THE NEW YEAR
Umu nne m Ndi Abia, I joyfully welcome all of us to the New Year, 2024. We thank the Almighty God for preserving our lives over the past year and for bringing us into the joy of what promises to be a great cycle for our people.
We also remember our loved ones who journeyed to their final resting place and all who suffered different forms of personal tragedies in the past year. We pray for peace to the souls of the deceased, fortitude to the families of the bereaved, and restoration to all who went through painful losses in the last 12 months.
2023 was a watershed moment in the political history of our great State and I am most grateful to God and the individuals and groups He used in resetting the political direction of our beloved Abia. Nothing that was achieved in our political history in the past year could have happened without the divine direction and infinite support of the Almighty who orders human events as it pleases Him. We therefore give all honour, adoration and glory to our Heavenly Father.
We have marched victoriously into the New Year and I join every family in the state to celebrate the joy of a new beginning. We have been called to embrace the New Year with great hope and optimism, confident that no challenge, however daunting, shall overwhelm us.
The past year offered us the opportunity to take back our collective destiny and I am glad we drove home the message that in a democracy, power belongs to the people. It was the year the majority came to a consensus that we had stayed for far too long on the mountain of mediocrity and failure, and needed to advance forward to reach the Promised Land.
Although we are still far from our desired destination, the fact, as attested to by many, including apolitical observers, and even honest partisan watchers in other political camps, is that Abia is changing for the better and a new sense of optimism is emerging about our dear state and its future.
With our modest accomplishments in the last six months on road reconstruction and rehabilitation, especially in Aba and Umuahia, reinvigoration of the health and education sectors, restoration of security in communities that had been previously overrun by criminal gangs, effective urban waste management, prompt payment of salaries, support to the economically poor and vulnerable amongst others, it is evident that we are on a mission to rebuild and restore the glory of our fatherland.
Umu nne m, you may wish to recall that while speaking to you shortly after we took the oath of office on May 29, 2023, we made a solemn commitment that we shall make regular payment of salaries and pensions a priority. It gladdens my heart to report that our workers and retirees now know exactly when their entitlements will be paid and thankfully, we have never failed them. In the New Year, as we had promised, we shall review the salaries of all the employees of the State Government upwards to reflect the economic realities of the time. Work on this is in the final stages.
Beyond our strides in improving the social and economic conditions of the Abia public, we have also done very well in fostering harmonious relationships with the other arms of government, the legislature and the judiciary, providing all the necessary support as we consistently build trust in ways that make for robust engagements in the discharge of our constitutional responsibilities to Ndi Abia.
The media, members of the civil society, traditional, religious and community leaders have been very supportive in driving the message of the New Abia to all parts of the state. May I assure you that we do not take your goodwill for granted.
The year 2024 will be our year of consolidation on the gains made in the past 7 months.