No More ‘Somebody’s Friend’ Appointment in Abia, But Merit and Integrity, States Otti

***Launches 25-Year Development Plan **

**Boniface Okoro in Umuahia **

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has declared that merit, competence and integrity would remain the sole criteria for appointments and recruitments in his administration, saying the era of “this is somebody’s friend, this is somebody’s wife” was over in the state civil service.

Otti made the declaration during the Abia State Leadership Academy Executive Leadership Series for political appointees and senior public servants held at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia. The event was part of activities marking Abia’s 35th anniversary.

Themed: “Strengthening Government Ethical Leadership and Public Service Delivery,” the programme focused on building institutions and preparing a new generation of leaders who can sustain the state’s development beyond the current administration.

Citing examples, the governor said admissions into Abia State University, especially Medicine and Law, the recruitment of 5,394 new teachers and the ongoing issuance of letters to another 4,074 teachers, as well as the appointment of Permanent Secretaries, had all been made competitive since 2023.

“We had started, last week, interviewing those that had applied, were screened through computer-based testing, passed and then the oral interviews. Since we came in 2023, we made the appointment of Permanent Secretaries competitive. No longer, ‘this is somebody’s friend, this is somebody’s wife’, No,” Otti stated.

He explained that the Leadership Academy and executive education programmes were designed to build people and institutions, not dependence on individuals.

Drawing from his interaction with Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, he said good leaders must deliberately develop people who can surpass them.

“It is the essence of this Leadership Academy, the essence of this executive education that we are having today. That is how we want to build our own leadership,” the governor said.

To entrench continuity, Otti disclosed that his administration has set up a 25-year development plan for Abia which has been legislated upon and could not be discarded by future governments unless repealed by the State House of Assembly.

He also announced plans to establish the Abia State Bureau of Statistics to improve data availability for planning and budgeting, stressing that accurate data, proper planning and effective supervision are critical to governance.