Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has been called upon to fulfill his campaign promise of ensuring the implementation of local government autonomy in the state.

A community leader and public affairs analyst, Chief Uche Aguoru, in a piece on Wednesday, argued that Otti’s refusal to grant autonomy to local councils has now rendered local chairmen constitutionally empowered to drive development at the grassroots to become mere figureheads.

Aguoru claimed that not a single council can point to a meaningful project initiated or completed since Governor Otti assumed the helm of affairs in the state.

In the piece titled “Fraud and Maladministration: How Alex Otti Government is Undermining Local Government Administration in Abia State”, the community leader described the situation as unacceptable and shameful.

He said Abia state currently earns roughly ₦8 billion monthly through the Joint Accounts Allocations Committee (JAAC), translating to an annual intake of ₦96 billion, and ₦192 billion in under two years under Governor Otti.

“And yet, there is no visible impact of this enormous sum on the streets of Abia’s towns or in the homes of its rural dwellers. Where are the roads? Where are the schools? Where is the water? Where is the development?”

While recalling when past administrations earned less than 100 million monthly, he added: “I can still remember, as a young boy during the Orji Uzor Kalu era, how the then Chairman of Aba North LGA, Dr. Iboko Imo Iboko, constructed a giant water reservoir and reticulated water and mounted streetlights throughout all parts of Aba North.”