Otti Calls for Institution of Right Leadership in Community Development Unions

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has charged community development unions in the State to institute and enforce the right kind of leadership at their various localities.

Otti gave the charge at Nvosi Isiala Ngwa South, on Wednesday, when he received a delegation of the Abia State Association of Igbo Town Unions, led by its President General, Chief Sir George Mgbeorurukwe.

The Governor regretted that many communities still have people of questionable character as leaders of their development unions.

He pointed out that his administration remains resolute in ensuring that only the right people should be in leadership positions.

“We won’t come out and say we are not interested. As the Chairman, you need to get interested. We don’t want thieves, we don’t want drug dealers, we don’t want 419 people,” he said.

“I’m challenging you to go back and ensure that the communities have all their well-meaning people involved and produce the kind of leadership that you and I would be proud of.

“You can go and make your money, but you can’t come out to aspire to lead when we don’t know what you do. That’s who we are. That’s how our parents brought us up. So we need to go back to those old days,” Gov. Otti stated.

He stressed on the need for community union leaders to give intelligence and credible information to government and security agencies to enable them curb crime and criminality in the rural communities.

Otti, while granting the request of the union for a piece of land to locate its office, directed the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Uzor Nwachukwu and the SSA Mrs. Magdalene Agupusi to get the town unions to be more effective and active by ensuring regular interface with them.

Speaking earlier, the President General Abia State Association of Igbo Town Unions, Chief Sir George Mgbeorurukwe thanked Governor Otti for his achievements in the State and assured of the support of the union for the reelection of the Governor.

Chief Mgbeorurukwe, who highlighted the aims and objectives of the association, requested for a plot of land for the union’s secretariat

The Commissioner for Arts and Creative Economy Mr. Matthew Ekwuribe and the Senior Special Assistant on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs. Magdalene Agupusi were present at the visit.