Former Commissioner for Trade and Investment in Abia State, John Okiyi Kalu, has countered recent claims by Governor Alex Otti that the previous administration left behind an empty treasury and indebtedness.
Speaking on Arise TV’s This Morning Show on Monday, Kalu accused the governor of misrepresenting facts surrounding the state’s financial position as of May 29, 2023.
Kalu dismissed Governor Otti’s reliance on a KPMG report, which he described as a “process review document” rather than a forensic audit, as the governor had characterized it.
According to him, the document clearly stated that the administration of former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu left over N4 billion in cash in the state’s Union Bank account.
According to the former commissioner, “That process review document says that over N4 billion in cash was left for Governor Alex Otti. Now, there were near-cash instruments also left for him. For instance, the Ikpeazu administration earned 24 billion naira in stamp duties.”
He further listed additional financial instruments and funds inherited by the current administration, which he argued are being deliberately downplayed.
The former commissioner alleged that Governor Otti inherited several other substantial resources, including:
- $60 million from the Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) fund;
- $225 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for development projects;
- N24 billion in collectible stamp duties.
Otti not sincere – ex-commissioner says
Kalu challenged Governor Otti’s competence, questioning his understanding of basic financial and governance data such as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), Federal Allocation (FAAC) receipts, and public school enrollment in the state.
“For the first time in my life, I saw a governor of a state who could not speak to how much the state makes in IGR monthly, who doesn’t even know the FAAC receipt on average, who doesn’t even know the public school enrollment in our state.”
The former commissioner also took issue with Otti’s governance style, particularly his continued residence outside the official government house in Umuahia.
“This guy has had two years in office. In those two years, he could have completed whatever was not completed, yet he chose to stay in his private residence in Mfosi, spend government money to improve his own private property. The same governor who told us that he was looking for N1 billion to go back to the new government house is spending multi-billions in the Asokoro Abia Lodge. The same governor spent over N800 million to fix the commissioner’s quarters.”
Backstory
Governor Alex Otti had accused his predecessor, former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, of misrepresentation and alleged fraud for commissioning what he described as an uncompleted Government House project. He claimed the move was part of a broader pattern of “deceptive legacies” left behind by the previous administration—issues his government has been working to address since taking office.
Governor Otti stated that although the new Government House was publicly inaugurated by the Ikpeazu administration, the actual condition of the facility when he assumed office fell far short of expectations.
Otti further emphasized that since taking office, his administration has not borrowed a single kobo, despite inheriting a massive debt burden. This includes unpaid salaries, pensions, and outstanding obligations to various government parastatals.
