VIDEO: The Progressive Lies of a Single Interview | #NwokeukwuMascot

 Opinion 

The New Abia and the Audacity of Lies and Deception | #NwokeukwuMascot  

One well-known pitfall of lying or mastering the art of deception is that once you choose that path, you inevitably become trapped in a cycle fabricating more lies just to sustain the earlier ones.

This unfortunate reality is vividly exemplified in the recent interview of Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, with Arise TV’s Rufai Oseni. In an attempt to justify why he has continued to run the affairs of government from his private residence for over two years, Governor Otti gave no less than five conflicting reasons, all revolving around the state-of-the-art Government House complex built and commissioned by the immediate past administration but now abandoned.

During the interview, the governor claimed that while the ground floor of the three-storey building was fully furnished, the remaining floors were not even plastered. This assertion prompted Rufai Oseni to visit the premises, accompanied by Otti’s Chief of Staff, Pastor Caleb Ajagba. To their collective surprise and embarrassment, the building wasn’t just plastered, it had been completely painted, save for the escalator space, which remained untouched. The visit exposed the first layer of deception.

In a frantic bid to save face, Pastor Ajagba later returned to the Abandoned Government House with another group of journalists, telling them the government was now considering converting the Government House into a five-star hotel. Yes, you read that right, a government house turned hotel.

Pastor Ajagba floated another excuse, that the Government House is situated in an “insecure environment.” Ironically, this same environment houses the Abia State Police Command Headquarters, the DSS State Office, the State House of Assembly, Federal High Courts, and even Abia CBN office. That excuse, by all standards, was not only laughable but also insulting to the intelligence of Abians.

Then came perhaps the most bizarre claim , this time from the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ukoha Njoku of how cows, vultures, and even tortoises were allegedly buried within the premises. In 2025, such superstitious claims from a first-class graduate and former bank MD are nothing short of embarrassing. Come on, mehn. We can do better.

Putting aside the Government House saga, the propaganda machine didn’t stop there. Another narrative surfaced about how the governor is “retrofitting” the old Governor’s Office. Ironically, this same term “retrofitting” was the catchphrase used in relation to the mysterious disappearance of over ₦58 billion meant for school projects in the previous quarter. The recycled terminology is not lost on Abians.

The Arise TV interview was riddled with more inconsistencies. Dr. Otti boldly claimed that Abia’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and monthly federal allocation were “small.” Yet, it is public knowledge that Abia now receives over ₦22 billion monthly an astronomical jump from the average ₦4 billion the previous administration operated with. This revenue spike is a direct consequence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidy, which redistributed more federal revenue to states, a fact openly acknowledged by fellow governors Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Charles Soludo (Anambra), and Peter Mbah (Enugu).

…Watch video of the interview below 👇🏽 

The contradictions continued when Governor Otti spoke of a supposed partnership with a multinational firm removing an old plant in Ukwa. In the same breath, he admitted that Malaysian companies once made fortunes from the same resource. But residents of Ukwa have since debunked the claim, saying no such project exists in the area. Even when pressed by Rufai to state the projected tonnage or output, the “technocrat” governor defaulted with an evasive “I don’t know, it’s still early days.”

It didn’t end there. The governor went on to claim that rice production was ongoing in Owerrinta. Again, a geographical blunder. Everyone familiar with Abia’s agricultural profile knows that Uzuakoli and Bende are the state’s rice-producing belts. Owerrinta and most of the Ngwa axis are known for cassava, yam, and other tuber crops not rice.

Governor Otti’s administration seems to have prioritized optics and media theatrics over genuine governance. The one major road project they have undertaken Port Harcourt Road in Aba has been splashed all over social media with an avalanche of photos from every possible angle, courtesy of “Kepu Kepu TV,” the Otua Ka Odi crooner. Of course, at a questionable and outrageous cost of over ₦6.5 billion per kilometre, it has now been christened the most expensive road in Africa by opposition voices.

As things stand, the lies keep piling up. But one truth remains: a government built on deception can never deliver authentic progress. Gone are the days of “we listen, we don’t judge.” Abians are watching and this time, we are judging.

©️NMN

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