Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has commended Arondizogu, Imo State-born billionaire industrialist, Mazi Clement Owunna, for not giving up on Aba even when there were compelling reasons to do so.
New Telegraph reports that Onwuna who is the CEO of Starline Nigeria Limited (SNL), manufacturers of quality cosmetics and toiletries with factories in Aba and many employees, is one of the leading indigenous industrialists in the South-East.
Governor Otti who spoke on Saturday, 18th January, in Aba, during the wedding ceremony of Onwunna’s son, Clement Owunna Jr., and his wife, Chinelo thanked the industrialist for his determination to stay when some others left.
The Governor said that it was people like Mazi Owunna who believed that Aba and Abia could be rebuilt that made him give up his well-paying banking Group Managing Director (GMD) job to lead the struggle to liberate Abia as a Governor.
“You know, in the old structure where they say you are from Imo, you are from Anambra, etc, in that structure, he (Clement Owunna) believed in Abia.
“I said to myself, so, I have stayed here and become a very successful Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, but by the time you retire, there would be no home to go to. So, I sacrificed that job and started struggling for almost ten years, and today, we are here,” Otti said.
He encouraged Abia people to prayerful, stick to and work on their dreams, saying that if it does not happen today, it will happen tomorrow or next.
Otti described his achievements in the last 19 months as a dress rehearsal, assuring that greater things are coming.
“What you see in Abia State in the last 19 months is actually what I will call dress rehearsal. You ain’t seen anything yet. I’m not boasting, I know what this State can do.
“The first thing we abolished is a state of origin. If you stay here, if you live here then you are from here.”
Otti explained that when he said he was going to appoint an Anambra-born industrialist, Ide John Udeagbala as the Mayor of Aba North, people doubted him, but he appointed him, and he went on to transform Aba North Local Government Headquarters into just a year.
He said the same thing happened recently when he appointed Edo-born Benson Ojeikere as the Head of Service of the State; some people said he’s from Edo, hence, should not be appointed.
Otti said that he conducted an examination and oral interviews for the prospective candidates; Mr. Ojeikere came top and was appointed.
“The other day, I appointed somebody as the Head of Service of the State; some people say he is from Edo; I don’t know about that. He came here in 1999 and he has been here. He didn’t come on his own volition.
“God brought him here through Youth Service, and he distinguished himself as the best corner, and he was retained in the Civil Service and somebody wants to tell me he’s not from Abia State.
“What we are building here is a model State. No matter what anyone says, we are focused and determined. If you come to Aba in the next one-year, you will probably not recognize Aba.
“Very close here, there was an abandoned project called Enyimba Hotel. You would probably see a Radisson Blu sitting on it. And then you see a conference centre by the side and you see another leisure park opposite it. This is our place, we must fix it,” Otti declared.
Otti thanked the people for being supportive of his administration and assured them that he would never tamper with the State’s resources but would use them to fix the State.
