ABIA @ 34: A CONTINUING JOURNEY IN FAITH AND DISCOVERY - Alex Otti

 

Being the Text of an Address by Governor Alex C. Otti OFR, on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, to Mark the 34th Anniversary of the Creation of Abia State

1. Umunne m Ndi Abia, I bring you warm and joyful greetings from Umuahia, our beloved State capital, on the auspicious occasion of the 34th anniversary of the creation of our great State, Abia. I want to congratulate all of us for how far we have come as a people, united by a common heritage and connected to a shared destiny of infinite possibilities. Our primary gratitude is to the Almighty God who has continued to preserve, protect and provide for us as individuals and a collective. Abia is a creation of God and the events of the last few years have further justified the wisdom of our fathers who wholly dedicated this State to the one Sovereign God from the very beginning, announcing it to the ends of the earth that we are Ndi Abia, God’s own people, living in God’s own State. It is therefore fitting that we spare a moment on this great day of our anniversary to thank the founding fathers of this great State for their foresight and courage in working diligently to carve out a distinct land that would be defined by the resilience of the population, the entrepreneurial spirit of the people and the positive disposition of its men and women to the tough realities of life. 

2. Abia is a unique place. Beyond its vast array of human talents, this State is also blessed with an industrial supply of rich mineral resources. Our environmental, social and cultural realities support multiple economic ventures including agriculture, trade, manufacturing, tourism and artistic enterprises. I am quite proud of what we have achieved over the past 34 years even amidst the difficult challenges we face. The significant number of first-class professionals with Abia roots and origin in different frontiers of human enterprises across the world offers an immense source of pride on a day like this. It also points us to the greatness that each of us carries. Beyond the exploits of our parents, brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren across the world, we have also given an excellent account of ourselves here at home, overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to give this land its core identity as the home of the brave and resilient. 

3. This land called Abia, since the beginning of time, and in the 34 years it has existed as a distinct political entity, has achieved a certain distinction as a place that gives life to the dreams of its inhabitants if they consistently work hard. Our greatest treasure is in the mind and intellect of our people; it is in our creative spirit and willpower — the attitude to confront whatever life throws at us with equanimity of heart and the quiet confidence that breaks the hardest rocks. We are also blessed in the places where we trade, whether in Aba, Umuahia, Ohafia or any of the traditional or evening markets you find across our communities. Our farmlands are a source of immense wealth to us, supplying the food we need for our sustenance and income for millions of families in urban and rural communities. Our schools form the foundations of our intellectual accomplishments and imbue us with the confidence to take on the world — walking with our heads held high, wherever we go. We are a proud people who glory, not in the vain things of life, but in the appetite to advance the borders of material success for each succeeding generation.