Members of the Abia State Global Economic Council had a closed-door informal interactive session with members of the State Executive Council at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia, on the eve of the 2nd quarter EXCO Retreat to evaluate the two years performance of the administration of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR.
Speaking in separate interviews, some members of the Abia State Global Economic Council, who had participated in the informal interactions between the Council Members and the State Executive Council members, explained their roles in the economic development of Abia State under the leadership of Governor Alex Otti and appraised the progress of his economic policies in the last 2 years.
In her account, the Chairman of the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee of the Council, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui Okauru, MFR, stated, “Whatever we do at the Economic Council is ultimately to support the Exco Members and support the State.
“There was a lot of interaction and we focused on the theme of the retreat, which is ‘Sustaining Momentum, Leadership and Execution’.
“Sustainability not just in the eight years of the present Governor that we hope he will complete, but also sustainability beyond the tenure of the current Executive Governor.
“We acknowledge the immense contributions of the present administration to all that has happened in Abia State, and we acknowledge the tremendous changes that have gone on,
“and noted that all we are doing at this retreat is to build on it, so that that way, we are closer to the vision for the State, build on it, ensuring that we are working better collaboratively,” Mrs. Okauru concluded.
Another member of the Abia State Global Economic Council, Dr. Olugbenga Adesina, noted that the Governor and the State set up the Global Committee to provide advice and input on their work.
He added that, “What we are doing these next two days is engaging with them on what they are doing and trying to make the best input from our perspective as outsiders who are looking in and trying to support the Governor and the State,
“The Abia State, in what they are doing in trying to transform the economy of the State and build a State that is more sustainable, more resilient and hopefully fast growing, so, they can create wealth for the population here.
“I think there is a big change in Abia State over the last two years. People can see to some extent a better future, a government that is more concerned about development, concerned about the population and trying to lay the foundation for change over the longer term.
“That is why you have all these global personalities involved to see what they can contribute to help the State move forward. Development is not something that happens overnight, Adesina noted.
The 2nd Quarter EXCO Retreat is scheduled to start on Wednesday, 2nd day of July and end on Thursday, 3rd of July, 2025 and will be declared open by the Executive Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR.
