Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has clarified that he is not opposed to the Enyimba Economic City project, but insists that all processes surrounding the development must be transparent and properly executed.
Speaking on the matter, Governor Otti stated that while he supports genuine investments and economic development initiatives in the state, certain aspects of the project were not handled correctly and needed to be rectified.
“So I’m not against any Enyimba Economic City, but I believe that there are things that were not properly done and they should be done properly. But having said that, since the matter is subjudice, I’ll leave it at that,” the Governor said.
He noted that documents available to his administration indicated that the Abia State Government was entitled to only six per cent equity in the company, despite the substantial size of the land involved, which spans approximately 9,803 hectares across Ugwunagbo, Ukwa East, and Ukwa West Local Government Areas.
Governor Otti further explained that his administration had no objection to investors acquiring land for legitimate projects, provided the affected communities were properly compensated and appropriate agreements were reached.
“If Enyimba Economic City goes and acquires those lands, pays the people, and they have an agreement, you should come and I will give them C-of-O or title documents. I don’t have a problem. I support businesses. People are acquiring land; once you do the right thing, I have no problem,” he added.
The Governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting genuine investments while upholding the principles of transparency, fairness, and accountability in all dealings involving public assets.