Abia State Governor Alex Otti, has announced a ban on all kinds of payment in the state’s elementary and secondary institutions.
Governor Otti emphasised his administration’s commitment to protecting the children’s future in his New Year’s speech, saying,
“We have stopped all forms of payments in the primary and secondary schools, not even PTA levies should be charged from any parent or guardian in any public school in the State.”
A new public school funding system was introduced by the governor to guarantee efficient school operations.
He said “An imprest account system has been implemented to manage schools”.
“There is therefore no excuse to extort or deny any child the opportunities that come with learning and enlightenment.
“We shall be strict with enforcement and it will be a grievous mistake to test our will”.
The governor outlined his administration’s plans for 2025, emphasising the urgency of his government’s developmental agenda.
“We are practically in a hurry; we want to live in fulfilment of the dreams of this administration: to build systems and structures, to rebuild our state, and to realign governance priorities to reflect the true aspirations of the people.
“We have since evolved a system that prioritises the needs of the downtrodden by paying attention, listening carefully, and channeling public resources to where they yield the highest social and economic dividends to the majority,” he said.
Otti revealed that 35 per cent of the state’s entire budgetary outlay would be directed to education and health, highlighting the role these sectors play in Abia’s transformation.
“We shall fast-track efforts to remake our schools into centres of excellence in effective teaching and learning. As you may know, the law mandating all children of school age to be in school every school day comes into effect from today.
“As soon as the new school term begins later in the month, it will be unlawful to find any child outside the walls of the classroom during school hours,” he said.
Otti also warned against threats to public safety.
“We shall not hesitate to deploy the full might of the government against any individual or group whose activities pose a threat to the safety of our people,” he said.
He reiterated the administration’s focus on economic revitalisation.
“We shall do everything in our power to reposition the state to become irresistibly attractive to those seeking to expand to new territories or cut costs by taking advantage of the boundless opportunities the state offers, especially in the areas of human capital, improved social infrastructure, and seamless ease-of-doing-business protocols.
“We shall, in the New Year, consolidate our efforts to make the state investor-friendly. We shall give greater attention to the agricultural sector,” the governor added.
