Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has disclosed plans to commence the construction of an ecumenical centre in Umuahia, saying the project would be personally funded by him without any financial contribution from the state government.
Otti stated this on Sunday during an interdenominational thanksgiving service held to commemorate the third anniversary of his administration, explaining that the project was part of a vow he made to God.
According to the governor, he had already provided the land for the project, noting that he acquired the property in 2009, long before becoming governor.
He said, “We vowed that we are going to build an ecumenical centre in Umuahia for God.
“The ecumenical centre is not going to be built with government money. No dime from the state government will go into it.”
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to serving God and fulfilling promises made to the people at the inception of his administration.
He stated that immediately after assuming office, his administration rededicated the state to God and vowed to always seek divine guidance in governance.
“We started by taking the state to God in prayers and rededicated the state immediately after we were sworn in,” Otti stated.
Earlier in his sermon titled “Where There is No Vision, the People Perish,” the President of Living Word Ministries International, Emma Okorie, described Otti as a “God-sent” leader on a mission to deliver the people of Abia State.
Okorie, who preached from Exodus 3:1-10, said the Israelites spent years in bondage in Egypt before God sent Moses to deliver them after they cried out to Him.
He likened the biblical account to the situation in Abia State, which he said had experienced years of hardship and setbacks due to poor leadership.
According to him, Otti’s emergence signified that God had heard the cries of the people and sent him to address the state’s challenges.
Also speaking at the event, the Catholic Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Umuahia, Michael Ukpong, and the Archbishop of Methodist Church Nigeria, Umuahia Archdiocese, Chibuzor Opoko, commended the governor’s leadership style and urged him not to relent.
“Do not allow anything to distract you from the good works you are doing. The prayers of the people will continue to be with you,” they advised.
Flagging off the construction of the 1,000-capacity ecumenical centre in Umuagu, Umuahia, Otti said the project was being built for the Christian community in Abia State as fulfilment of a promise he made before the 2023 election.
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