Abia To Begin Subsidised Electric Bus Fares

The Abia State Government has announced that subsidized fares for its electric bus services will take effect from the 1st of March.

This was disclosed by the Governor, DrAlex Otti, during his monthly media chat with Abians on Friday night.

“Under the new arrangement, commuters will pay N800 for trips from Umuahia to Aba, while passengers travelling from Umuahia to Ohafia will be charged N1,000,” Otti said.

The government also stated that the electric bus system will operate a fully digital payment platform, with commuters required to pay using their ATM cards.

The initiative is aimed at easing transportation costs for residents while promoting a modern, transparent and environmentally friendly public transport system across the state.

The Governor highlighted major strides recorded by his administration across health, infrastructure, power, security and economic development, declaring that his government remains committed to “changing the story

The governor recalled that his administration declared a state of emergency in critical sectors shortly after assumption of office.

“As you are all aware, we declared an emergency on health and a few other areas including environmental sanitation and infrastructure. I think we have made quite some progress in those areas. Security was also well done,” he said.

Governor Otti disclosed that the first phase of the health sector intervention is nearing completion, with 200 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres retrofitted, rebuilt or remodelled across the state.

“All the 200 primary health care centres are now in place and are retrofitted, rebuilt or remodelled. Some of them have not been functionalised because we insist on minimum standards in terms of equipment and in terms of health care professionals,” he stated.

He directed that all centres be fully operational within four to six weeks.

“We have given the directive that in the next four to six weeks all of them should be functionalised. Some of the new recruits have started resuming. We believe we have enough people for that,” he added.

The governor further revealed that 77 additional PHCs were rehabilitated under the World Bank-supported IMPACT Project, bringing the total to over 270 centres when fully operational.

“We have 77 primary health care centres that were fixed. By the time we functionalise all of them we will have over 270 primary health care centres. We will now move to the next phase,” he said.

As part of efforts to improve capacity, the state has partnered a US-based medical firm, Qantas Medical Foundation, to train healthcare professionals.

“In the interim we have engaged a US-based company called Qantas Medical Foundation. What they are doing here is just to give training to all our health care professionals… we want our people to be updated,” Otti noted.

He added that a pilot digital healthcare programme has commenced in selected hospitals to migrate from manual to electronic systems.

“The whole idea is to migrate from manual to digital. It is looking quite good. Our people are happy,” he said.

On immunisation, the governor reported high turnout for the measles and rubella vaccination campaign.

“The turnout was massive and a whole lot of people benefited from that immunisation,” he stated.

Ukwa East has been flagged off for the construction of a brand new general hospital, a development Governor Otti described as historic.

“That local government, which had not had a general hospital since inception, will now have a secondary health care centre for reference,” he said.

He explained that functional PHCs must be supported by at least one secondary healthcare facility in each local government.

“It is important that these primary health care centres are able to refer patients to secondary health care centres and that is the logic for constructing a general hospital in Okwa East,” he added.

The governor also noted ongoing expansion at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, as well as upgrade works at specialist hospitals in Amachara and Umu Nnato.

“It is a massive job that is going on in those hospitals. We know it will take a little bit of time, but we will get there,” he assured.

Aba recently witnessed the commissioning of the long-abandoned Ovom Street, previously devastated by erosion.

“The first thought was, can this really be fixed because it was terribly bad, But I also asked myself, was this place okay at any point in time? And the answer was in the affirmative,” he recounted.

“And I said, okay, so if it was good at some point, then it can also be good again. And we started work on it. I’m happy that we delivered that place… and saved a lot of buildings and families from the agony of that erosion,” Otti said.

He disclosed that about 31 road projects are ongoing under the Ministry of Works, alongside interventions by the Greater Aba and Greater Ohafia Development Agencies.

“This is the dry season, so I’ve put everybody on their toes to ensure that we take advantage of the dry season,” he said.

In a move to boost small businesses, the governor announced approval for an SME Village and Innovation Hub in Aba.

“Our people are strong in SME. So this government has taken a principled stand to support our people with the setup of the SME Village and Innovation Hub. Land has already been acquired,” he said.

He also confirmed that the state has reacquired the defunct Afro Beverages company from AMCON and is receiving expressions of interest from investors, alongside interest in reviving the Star Paper Mill.

“It is not our preference to run those companies. We want to cede them to the private sector… not just somebody who has money, but we want to be sure that those companies do not run aground anymore,” Otti explained.

On the Nsulu Airport project, Governor Otti dismissed negative reports and confirmed that compensation payments have resumed.

“I can assure you that everyone who should be compensated will be compensated… At the moment over 4,000 have been paid,” he stated, noting that about 10,000 claimants are involved.

In the power sector, he disclosed ongoing efforts to restore electricity to Ohafia, Bende and Ukwa East, and plans to wheel power from Geometric Power in Aba to Umuahia once acquisition processes are completed.

“We already have taken the regulation into our hands, and we have set up the state electricity regulatory authority. So it’s a no-brainer to have power supplied from Aba. So it will happen very soon,” he said.

Governor Otti revealed that the state is in the process of recruiting 4,000 teachers, with over 36,000 applications received and 24,000 shortlisted for computer-based tests.

On security, he reiterated that no part of Abia is under the control of criminal elements.

“There is no territory that is under the control of non-state actors in Abia State, and there will never be,” he declared.

He added that the Security Trust Fund and Security Advisory Committee are working closely with the police, DSS and armed forces to maintain safety.

“The logic is simple. If this place is not safe, everything we are doing will come to naught. So safety is the number one priority for this government,” the governor stressed.