By Obinna Oriaku

Over the past few weeks, the administration of Governor Alex Otti has subjected Abians to a steady stream of half-truths, exaggerations and outright misrepresentations, carefully packaged to mask the harsh realities of governance in Abia State. When these claims are examined closely, a disturbing pattern emerges, one defined by deception, propaganda and an increasing intolerance for dissenting voices.

*1.) HURIWA’s Withdrawal of the “Man of the Year” Award:*

Last week, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), through its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, formally announced the withdrawal of the “Man of the Year” award earlier conferred on Governor Alex Otti. This decision was not arbitrary. It followed HURIWA’s assessment of the prevailing realities in Abia State, particularly the inhumane treatment of pensioners, civil servants and members of opposition parties.

Today in Abia, citizens who hold views contrary to the government’s narrative face harassment, intimidation and, in some cases, arrest for merely speaking out. At last count, no fewer than thirteen (13) opposition members have been arraigned before courts in Abuja, Lagos and Abia State. Even more troubling was a recent incident in which security operatives stormed the home of an opposition figure who was away in Abuja, arrested his innocent wife and detained her at the Central Police Station in Aba. Her release reportedly came only after the intervention of senior opposition leaders.

HURIWA made it unequivocally clear that it could not associate a human rights award with an administration accused of suppressing opposition and undermining press freedom. This development validates what opposition voices have long warned, that a governor who once enjoyed unfettered freedom as an opposition figure would likely seek to muzzle dissent once in power. In Abia today, there is the glossy version promoted on social media and there is the lived reality of ordinary citizens. The two are worlds apart.

2.) The Frenzy Over Electric Buses, Much Noise, Nothing New:

The same pattern of exaggeration has played out in the media frenzy surrounding the introduction of electric buses. While it is acknowledged that Abia State has deployed buses funded through the Federal Government’s CNG intervention programme introduced in 2024 to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal, it is dishonest to present this as a groundbreaking achievement.

Several states have provided subsidised public transportation for years. Even in Abia, similar initiatives existed under previous administrations, including during the tenure of Dr Orji Uzor Kalu. There is, therefore, nothing novel to justify the orchestrated media celebration.

While Abia celebrates the deployment of twenty (20) electric buses, Our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently commissioned one hundred (100) electric buses, five hundred (500) electric taxis and two thousand five hundred (2,500) electric motorcycles in Borno State. Enugu State, on its part, is procuring two thousand five hundred (2,500) taxis and has insisted that the supplier establish an assembly plant within the state to create jobs and facilitate technology transfer, just as it did with its tractor assembly agreement involving one thousand (1,000) tractors. Sadly, governance in Abia increasingly resembles content creation rather than serious, long-term planning for development.

3.) The Teaching Recruitment Narrative and the 32,000 Applications:*

The narrative surrounding the thirty-two thousand (32,000) applications for teaching jobs further exposes this administration’s disregard for the intelligence of Abians. Rather than a success story, this figure is a tragic confirmation of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report that ranks Abia, in 2025, as Nigeria’s unemployment capital. Graduate unemployment in the state stands at 18.5 percent, the highest in the country, compared to about five percent (5%) in many other states.

The flood of applications reveals a grim reality. The state government has effectively become the only meaningful employer in Abia. It also underscores the absence of private sector growth and the lack of new industries since Governor Otti assumed office, despite constant propaganda to the contrary. Even more alarming is the fact that over ninety percent (90%) of the applicants reportedly have no professional teaching background. This reality reinforces the governor’s earlier admission that job creation is not a priority of his administration. Abians are far more politically aware today than they were in 2023.

4.) Salary Payments and the Politics of the Ordinary:

The celebration surrounding salary payments on the fifteenth (15th) of December is equally puzzling. Workers in Abia were paid within this same period even under the Ikpeazu administration. Routine obligations should not be marketed as extraordinary achievements by a serious government.

Across the country, many states quietly paid their workers and pensioners without fanfare. Ebonyi State, for instance, paid a ₦150,000 Christmas package to civil servants, even as several parastatals in Abia State remained unpaid as of the twenty-fifth (25th) of December 2025. In Abia, however, ordinary duties are exaggerated and sold as landmark accomplishments, even when the lived reality contradicts the official narrative.

5.) Retirement Without Fear and the Contributory Pension Deception:*

The slogan “retirement without fear” has also proven to be hollow rhetoric. This administration falsely claimed to have cleared pension arrears, yet Abia remains among the few states still owing several months of unpaid pensions. Not a single kobo has been paid as gratuity, with outstanding liabilities estimated at over seventy billion naira (₦70 billion).

Pensioners are demanding answers to their present suffering, not promises of relief five years down the line under a contributory pension scheme that appears designed to compel them to forfeit their earned gratuities. A government that cannot meet its current obligations lacks the moral authority to guarantee future security. Propaganda cannot substitute for responsibility.

6.) The False Claim of Electricity Restoration in 33 Ukwa Communities:

The same culture of misrepresentation is evident in the claim that electricity has been restored to thirty-three (33) communities in Ukwa. While ASOPADEC did initiate reconnection efforts following the vandalisation of cables and transformers,the reality is that only about seven (6) communities currently have electricity. Many of the communities listed by the government remain in complete darkness though 9 communities have always had light before the Jamboree at Obehie .

Even more disturbing is the deliberate falsehood that these communities have been without electricity for nine years. Available records show that between 2022 and 2023, electricity was restored to most of these areas after vandalised sections along Aba /Port Harcourt express way were repaired. These claims cannot withstand the test of truth.

7.) Christmas Decorations and the Politics of Corporate Credit:

Even the Christmas decorations in Aba and Umuahia were not spared from misrepresentation. While festive lights appeared in major junctions, the reality is that Nigerian Breweries Plc executed most of the decorations as part of its corporate social responsibility, just as it did in other South-East states. The Abia State Government should not take credit for projects it neither funded nor executed.

In the same quest for validation, the government made a spectacle of the brief appearance of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during the Christmas period. Dr Okonjo-Iweala, a native of Isingwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area, was home for her son’s wedding and the Christmas festivities. Yet, an administration struggling for legitimacy amid growing public discontent hurriedly packaged her presence into a short media appearance in an attempt to borrow credibility. Abians are no longer deceived by such optics designed to mask the real suffering of the people.

Abia State deserves governance anchored on truth, accountability, tolerance and a clear economic vision, not intimidation, propaganda and media deception. The Otti administration must urgently abandon deceit as a governing strategy and confront the real challenges facing Abians. History has consistently shown that governments which mistake propaganda for performance are never judged kindly.

Obinna Oriaku

©️EKWEDIKE

25/12/ 2025