Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has lauded the Methodist Church Nigeria for its plans to establish a University in Abia State.
Governor Otti was speaking on Thursday, August 28th, when he played host to the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Dr. Oliver Abah who called on him with a retinue of Methodist Archbishops and Bishops in his office.
The Governor expressed the excitement of the State over the proposed Methodist University, Umuimenyi, Bende LGA, assuring of the support of the State Government.
“We are very happy about it and we can assure you that any support that we can give, we will not hesitate to render it.
“There is no doubt that the Methodist Church has been a pioneer in missionary activities in Nigeria and of course, the health and education sectors of the economy.
“Setting up a University is one of the things you are known for. For us as a Government, education is so important that it gets the largest allocation in every budget that we have approved since we came into office.
“It would be our pleasure to support you and partner with you in the establishment of this University,” Gov. Otti stated.
The State Chief Executive directed the Deputy Chief of Staff, Barr. Chijioke Nwankwo, to work closely with them to ensure that the incident of land grabbing they complained about is settled and does not stop the Church from continuing the project. “So, we are already building a road to the place”. He equally informed the delegation that he is already building a road along the axis of the location of the University.
Governor Otti noted that his administration is investing heavily in education, saying that he has consistently allocated 20 percent of the budget to education and disclosed his administration’s huge investments in the state-owned University – ABSU.
“In the 2024 budget, education got 20% of the total envelope. In 2025, it also got 20%. That’s why you will see that we are touching everywhere.
“Unfortunately, we inherited a dilapidated sector. Most of the schools were in terrible states of disrepair and the tertiary institutions were not left out.
“I visited the State University sometime in the year and I was shocked at what I saw. The hostels were in terrible states, the cafeterias, the study theatres, everything was gone.
“We have taken a principled stand that we will rescue, retrieve, and retrofit the University. As we speak, the hostels are undergoing massive renovation and new hostels are also being built.
“The cafeteria, I believe, should be completed any moment now. The backlog of salaries, we have cleared all of them,” Gov. Otti stated.
Speaking earlier, the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Oliver Ali Abah said that, they came to seek partnership with the State Government to establish a Methodist University at Umuimenyi in Bende Local Government Area of the State.
He noted that, there are some challenges noticed around Lodu, Lohum, and Nkpa areas, and appealed for immediate support especially in the area of warning land grabbers around the University. He said that the Methodist Church Nigeria is the pioneer of education and educational institutions in Nigeria, adding that the initiative would contribute tremendously to the future development of Abia State and Nigeria at large.
“Methodist Church Nigeria has the record of being the pioneer of education and educational institutions, health institutions, and social welfare establishments in the space called Nigeria.
“We therefore seek a collaborative partnership to advance the establishment of the University in Abia State to complement the laudable and giant strides of our performing Governor.
“We believe that this partnership will not only benefit our Church, but also the entire State, as it will provide opportunities for young people to acquire knowledge and skills that will enable them to make meaningful contributions in nation-building.
The Prelate congratulated Governor Alex Otti on the visible achievements of his administration and described him as a capacity Governor, elected by God and man, and prayed for more upliftment for the Governor.
The meeting was attended by the SSA on Religious Affairs, Pastor K.C. Wiper, Deputy Chief of Staff, Bar. Chijioke Nwankwo, and the DG and CEO, PPP & Investment Promotion Office, Mr. Chinedu Chijioke.
Ctz. UKOHA, NJOKU UKOHA
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
