Otti to reconstitute Abia Pilgrims Welfare Board

Gov. Alex Otti of Abia has promised to reconstitute the Abia Pilgrims Welfare Board, ahead of this year’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Otti made the promise on Tuesday, when a delegation of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), led by its Executive Secretary, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, visited him in his Nvosi country home in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area.

He said that the church played an important role to ensure his emergence and thanked Adegbite for appreciating the achievements of his administration in the state.

Otti assured the delegation that his government would continue to do the right thing and affect lives positively.

“I want to assure you that this government will continue to do the right thing.

“We believe that leadership is about service and that as a leader, if you are not interested in the welfare of the people, you have already failed,” the governor said.

He also said that he is very “methodical” in the management of the state’s funds, adding that people wonder how he had run the administration without borrowing.

He said that anytime he would borrow, it would be for investments.

Otti said that there were lots of programmes in his election manifesto that were being implemented one after the other.

Earlier, Adegbite had urged the governor to reconstitute the state pilgrims welfare board.

He said that the board had been a very friendly partner in the Christian Pilgrims project.

The cleric also said that the arrangement for the 2024 Christian Pilgrimage to the Holy Land had not been concluded.

He said that pilgrimage to Jerusalem now costs N5 million.

He said that the commission would disclose how much it would cost a pilgrim from Abia “as soon as the commission receives approval of the state’s support”.

He commended the governor for his achievements since he assumed office about 16 months ago.