Gov Otti warns new appointees against stealing, bribery

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has sworn in his newly appointed special advisers, heads and members of government agencies in the state, warning that they must avoid corrupt practices.

The governor who spoke at Government House, Umuahia, pointed out that his administration is 100 per cent accountable to the people of the state and God.

He charged the appointees to work round the clock and live above board by not stealing, taking or demanding bribes in the course of discharging their duties.

Otti, who said that his administration has been fair to all sections of the state in the allocation of resources, warned the new appointees against indulging in parochialism and provincialism.

He said: “To be honest, this is not an assignment that will earn you the whole riches in the world because stealing, asking for, and taking kickbacks, or engaging in phoney deals, the type that fattens the bank accounts of individuals while impoverishing the public, are completely forbidden. The consequences of noncompliance can be very heavy.

“This administration has zero tolerance for corruption and the fastest way to get yourself out of the team is to engage in dishonest practices. For clarity, let the warning be given in advance that once we establish any case of self-serving activities that go against the values we subscribe to as a government, we shall be left with no option but to ask you to leave and perhaps hand you over to the law enforcement agencies for further investigations.”

He promised to guide and provide the appointees with every resource they need to operate effectively, even as he advised them not to be distracted by criticism from the opposition whenever they are doing the right thing.

The Abia governor further said that resources available to the state have consistently been channelled to develop critical areas of need.

Those sworn in were Kenechukwu Nwosu, Special Adviser on Education and Green Amakwe, Special Adviser on Promotion.

Those inaugurated were chairmen and members of the Abia State House of Assembly Service Commission, Abia State Commission for Welfare of Disabled Persons, and Abia Civil Service Commission.