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Uche Nwosu

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has given reasons why his administration is investing heavily in education, describing education as the cornerstone of development.

The governor, while welcoming the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Dr Oliver Ali Abah to his office, said he has consistently allocated 20 percent of the budget to education, adding that his administration’s huge investments in the state-owned University – Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU) has been outstanding.

“In the 2024 budget, education got 20% of the total envelope. In 2025, it also got 20%. That’s why you will see that we are touching everywhere.

“Unfortunately, we inherited a dilapidated sector. Most of the schools were in terrible states of disrepair and the tertiary institutions were not left out.

“I visited the State University sometime in the year and I was shocked at what I saw. The hostels were in terrible states, the cafeterias, the study theatres, everything was gone.

“We have taken a principled stand that we will rescue, retrieve, and retrofit the University. As we speak, the hostels are undergoing massive renovation and new hostels are also being built.

“The cafeteria, I believe, should be completed any moment now. The backlog of salaries, we have cleared all of them,” Otti stated.

He lauded the Methodist Church Nigeria for its plans to establish a university in Abia State
and expressed joy over the planned siting of a Methodist University at Umuimenyi, in Bende LGA.

He therefore assured the church of the support of the state government.

He declared, “We are very happy about it and we can assure you that any support that we can give, we will not hesitate to render it.

“There is no doubt that the Methodist Church has been a pioneer in missionary activities in Nigeria and of course, the health and education sectors of the economy.

“Setting up a University is one of the things you are known for. For us as a Government, education is so important that it gets the largest allocation in every budget that we have approved since we came into office.

“It would be our pleasure to support you and partner with you in the establishment of this University”.

Otti at the event directed the Deputy Chief of Staff, Barr. Chijioke Nwankwo, to work closely with the Church leaders to ensure that the incident of land grabbing they complained about is settled and does not stop the Church from continuing the project.

He disclosed the state is already building a road along the axis of the location of the proposed university.

Earlier, the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Oliver Ali Abah had stated that he and his brother Bishops who came on the courtesy visit were in Abia to seek partnership with the state government in order to establish a Methodist University at Umuimenyi in Bende Local Government Area of the State.

He told the governor of some challenges around the Lodu, Lohum, and Nkpa areas, and appealed for immediate support especially in the area of land grabbing around the proposed university’s axis.

Describing the Methodist Church Nigeria as the pioneer of education and educational institutions in Nigeria, Abah explained that if established the proposed school would contribute tremendously to the future development of Abia State and Nigeria at large.

His word, “Methodist Church Nigeria has the record of being the pioneer of education and educational institutions, health institutions, and social welfare establishments in the space called Nigeria.

“We therefore seek a collaborative partnership to advance the establishment of the University in Abia State to complement the laudable and giant strides of our performing Governor.

“We believe that this partnership will not only benefit our Church, but also the entire State, as it will provide opportunities for young people to acquire knowledge and skills that will enable them to make meaningful contributions in nation-building”.

Abah used the opportunity to congratulate Governor Alex Otti on the visible achievements of his administration and described him as a capacity governor, “elected by God and man”, and prayed for his more upliftment.

The meeting was attended by the SSA on Religious Affairs, Pastor K.C. Wiper, Deputy Chief of Staff, Bar. Chijioke Nwankwo, and the DG and CEO, PPP & Investment Promotion Office, Mr. Chinedu Chijioke.