Otti Urges Abia Youths to Embrace Excellence

Umuahia — Gov. Alex Otti of Abia has charged young Abians to embrace selfless service, innovation, hard work and excellence and become active participants in the development of the state.

Otti gave the charge on Saturday at the graduation ceremony of the 2026 Abia State Leadership Academy Youth Leadership Boot Camp, held at the International Conference Centre, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia.

The programme, organised by the Abia State Leadership Academy in collaboration with the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, produced 1,086 graduates selected from more than 7,000 applicants.

The governor, whose address was titled “The Leadership Vocation,” congratulated the graduates and urged them to see the training as the beginning of greater responsibility rather than the end of their leadership journey.

“The process was as seamless as it was transparent, and today, we can see evidence that, in line with our philosophy of merit, only the best performers were chosen to be part of this class,” Otti said.

He urged the graduates to establish mentoring clusters, share the knowledge acquired and mobilise their peers to support the development of what he described as the New Abia.

“You are not going home as regular people anymore. You now belong to a special community of young minds with a responsibility to act with distinction and carry the light of excellence into your communities, schools, and wherever the future takes you,” he said.

Otti also urged them to reject passivity and embrace selfless service, stressing that their generation would eventually occupy positions of influence and would be required to bridge the gap between the aspirations of the state’s founding generation and present realities.

“After your stay at the academy, you can no longer be passive citizens. You are invited to remove the cloak of lethargy and embrace without hesitation the responsibility of selfless service,” he said.

The governor described the New Abia project as a transgenerational undertaking requiring patience, resilience, teamwork and commitment.

He said his administration would continue to support and monitor the graduates’ progress and directed the academy to maintain a directory of participants and track their development.

Otti expressed particular interest in seeing the ideas generated through the participants’ capstone presentations translated into practical solutions.

“We are far more interested in seeing them come to fruition,” he said, describing the graduates as “bearers of solutions, drivers of innovation, and agents of transformation.”

He encouraged the young people to approach the government whenever they required assistance to actualise their ventures.

The governor also urged the graduates to remain steadfast in the face of opposition and challenges, saying their daily choices would influence the future of the state.

“It is either you are voting for a prosperous future through your daily choices or you are undermining it by refusing to stand for your conviction,” he said.

Otti commended the President of the Abia State Leadership Academy, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, and his team, as well as the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University, led by its Director, Dr Nneka Okekaru, for their contributions to the four-week programme.

He also appreciated the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, the management of Government College Umuahia and the Nigerian Naval College of Accounts and Finance for their partnership and support.

The governor thanked parents for entrusting their children to the state government and noted that about 10 per cent of the participants were Abia indigenes living in different parts of the country.

He said the development demonstrated the effectiveness of his administration’s inclusive policy that recognises anyone who lives in Abia as an Abian.

Otti specifically acknowledged Ms Rosely Farida Abdusalam, who lives in Aba with her parents, saying her participation and performance demonstrated that the policy was working.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Abia State Civil Service Commission, Pastor Dr Eno Jerry Eze, said the 1,086 graduates were selected from more than 7,000 applicants.

Eze said the theme of the boot camp, “Raising Transformational Leaders, Innovators and Change-Makers,” reflected the administration’s commitment to investing in young people alongside physical infrastructure.

“Under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, we are investing not just in roads, schools, climate-friendly transportation, agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises and hospitals. We are also investing in our greatest assets, our young people,” she said.

She said the programme challenged participants to lead with integrity, think creatively, develop solutions to problems and take responsibility rather than wait for others to act.

Eze said faculty members complemented classroom teaching with real-life scenarios designed to strengthen critical thinking and practical problem-solving.

“Through these sessions, you gained new perspectives on problem-solving techniques, learned to think more deeply, understand the peculiarities of each situation, and listened to different views across the table,” she said.

She commended Otti for his commitment to youth development and the academy for delivering what she described as a world-class programme.

Earlier, Kalu said the academy was established as a deliberate investment in the future of Abia State.

He said Otti had chosen to invest not only in physical infrastructure but also in the minds, character and civic consciousness of young Abians.

“Roads, buildings and other structures are important, and Your Excellency is already doing a lot in those sectors. But a generation shaped by values, a generation taught to live with integrity, serve with compassion and build with purpose, that generation will outlast every structure one can ever erect,” Kalu said.

The academy president thanked Otti for his support and vision, describing the institution as an investment whose impact would extend across generations.

“Thank you for planting a forest of leadership whose shade will shelter Abia for generations. History will remember this day that you came, you saw and you changed humanity for good,” he said.

Kalu urged the graduates to apply the values acquired during the programme in their schools, families and communities.

“Go back to your communities and lead. Go back to your schools and solve. Go back to your families and model the values you have learned during your time at the Academy,” he said.

He also warned them against compromising their integrity when confronted with pressure or temptation.

“When you are tempted to compromise, as you will be tempted, please remember this day. When the path of integrity feels lonely, please remember the Academy,” he said.

The event featured goodwill messages from the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, Ph.D., and the President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, Mrs Ekeoma Ezeibe, among others.

Otti also directed the academy to sustain the leadership development programme and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to raising a new generation of principled, innovative and service-oriented leaders for Abia and Nigeria.