Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has said he is confident of the new President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, John Azuta-Mbata’s ability to lead the Igbo socio-cultural group.
“I have known you for decades. Just like you spoke kindly about me, I also know you. I know your capacity and know what you stand for.
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“I have no doubt that in this role, you will continue to do what you have been known for, which is consistency, truthfulness, fairness, equity, and transparency,” Mr Otti told Mr Azuta-Mbata on Tuesday, 14 January, when the new Igbo leader visited the governor at his Umuehim Nvosi country home in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State.
“I can vouch for you. I was very pleased when you showed interest.
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“My colleagues and I also looked at it, and we said if people like this are showing interest, they should be given an opportunity,” Mr Otti added.
Mr Otti’s remark is in a press statement from the governor’s spokesperson, Ukoha Ukoha.
Governor Otti congratulated Azuta-Mbata, a former senator from Rivers State, for his emergence and assumption of office as the president-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
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He re-echoed his belief that leadership is about the people’s welfare, which is why he has prioritised salary payments on or before the 28th of every month and that his administration has been building roads and extending infrastructure to rural areas for easy movement of people and their services.
Governor Otti assured Mr Azuta-Mbata of his support and that of his colleagues to ensure that the new Ohanaeze leadership succeed, saying that, although the job is not easy, he is confident that he will succeed.
“I know that you will succeed. You can also count on the support of the governors, the seven of us because we all consulted, we all met, sometimes virtually.
“None of us has any personal interest. Our interest is the development and unity of our people. So, if any of us comes to you to say, do something wrong, that person is stepping out of the line.
“We all agreed that this time around, Ohanaeze should be focused on uniting the people, creating that leadership of our heritage, so that we can all do well as a people,” the governor asserted.
What Azuta-Mbata told Otti
Earlier in his speech, Mr Azuta-Mbata thanked Governor Otti for his support alongside his brother governors. He acknowledged that their support made his emergence possible.
He said their presence in the election of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo National Executives held on Friday, 10 January, underscores the importance they place on Ohanaeze. He assured that they would work closely with Governor Otti and the other six governors to pursue common goals.
“We will come and pay an official visit with the new Exco, but on a personal level, I thought that we should come and register our gratitude and tell you that we will consult, collaborate, and cooperate with you all the way.
“We are hoping that we would be able to tap into your wealth of experience as somebody well-grounded within the private and public sphere. Your approach and perspective to issues will be a lot more different,” Mr Azuta-Mbata said to the governor.
He commended Governor Otti for the “great work” he is doing in Abia State, saying that, having known him for a long time, he expected nothing less.
READ ALSO: Rivers group rejects Azuta-Mbata’s election as Ohanaeze Ndigbo president
“I want to congratulate you on the excellent work you are doing. Abia State, in my view, is lucky to have somebody like you, especially with the experience and history of governments that have not exactly met the expectations of the people.
“You have brought a magic wand, and everybody is amazed at how the resources of the government of Abia are being put to effective use to work for the people, and everybody is seeing the results, and people are happy.
“I have known you sufficiently to know that this is exactly what is going to happen. I didn’t expect anything less.”
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