Gov’t working to restore dignity of Abians through quality education, health care
Imo Thomas -Umuahia
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has said that his administration is making serious efforts to restore the dignity of the people through quality education and health care delivery in the State.
Governor Otti stated this on Sunday while playing host to a delegation of the World Bank led by the Lead Governance Specialist, Ms. Deborah Isser.
He commended the team for coming to see what Abia State is doing in the areas of health and education and informed them that the State is doing its best in those areas.
“So, it is my pleasure to have you (World Bank delegation). I think you came not just to learn from us but to see what we are doing and allow us to learn from you as experts.
“We are just making our modest efforts to change our story and ensure that we restore the dignity of our people.
“And, how do you do that? Except through Education, most importantly, and, of course, Health. If they are not healthy, there is nothing like dignity. If they are healthy and not well educated, they can’t even communicate.
“So, when you talk about HOPE Governance, HOPE Health, and HOPE Education, all those are just about the same thing that we are doing here, trying to give good governance to the people,” Gov. Otti stated.
Governor Otti recalled that on assumption of office in 2023, he met the Healthcare and Education sector in shambles.
“When we came in 2023, we realized that the state of the healthcare delivery system and the educational system were quite in shambles,” Gov. Otti noted.
He stated that his administration has had huge success in the health and education sectors, which have seen the retrofitting of a good number of health and academic institutions across the State.
The Governor expressed concern over the level of brain drain in the health sector and announced that his government would commence the procurement of equipment for the newly retrofitted primary healthcare centers, with capacity building for existing healthcare givers to commence soon.
The State Chief Executive, who blamed the collapse in the standard of education on the dilapidated nature of infrastructure, said that he was embarrassed over the level of infrastructural decay in Abia State University, Uturu, during his unscheduled visit to the school after the Sunday Church service.
He said that details of the progress made in the areas of basic education and health, as well as other related areas, would be revealed to the team as it tours the MDAs relevant to its study.
Earlier, the World Bank Lead Governance Specialist, Ms. Deborah Isser, said that the delegation came to Abia State for a study tour as part of the World Bank’s Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) program series.
Ms. Isser, who informed their host that they are focusing on two areas of HOPE Education and HOPE Health, said that the visit marked the commencement of a study on human resource management of teachers and healthcare workers in selected States, with Abia chosen as the first State due to its notable performance in this area and the State’s strong commitment to the implementation of the Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) policy.
She commended Governor Otti for his administration’s commitment to strengthening the human capital system and expressed readiness for continued collaboration to support Sub-National reforms under the HOPE program.
