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In an effort to fight corruption and restore good governance, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has pledged to recover all government funds and property that have been obtained illegitimately by corrupt individuals in the state.

During a thanksgiving service for the Deputy Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Austin Okezie Meregini, held at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Umuahia, Otti assured the congregation that his administration would not hesitate to remove the mouths of more looters from the “feeding bottle” of the state.

Otti stated that the recent changes he had implemented within the state’s civil service, including the dissolution of various boards, were aimed at rebuilding Abia. He emphasized that every stolen public fund and property would be recovered through the Panel of Inquiry, which was recently inaugurated.

During his speech, Governor Otti said, “It is also not uncommon for you to be hearing people wailing and crying; that is expected because for the past 24 years, some people had put their mouths on the feeding bottle and since we came we removed their mouths.”

He continued, “There may be a few people whose mouths we have not seen and that is why we have the Panel. We will fish out those people and remove their mouths from the feeding bottle.”

Otti passionately stressed that public funds and property should be utilized for the benefit of all citizens, and not hoarded by a few corrupt individuals. He argued that the feeding bottle is meant for everyone, and those who resist the necessary rebuilding process may misconstrue it as spoiling.

“So, if the rebuilding tastes like spoiling to them, we can’t understand but we cannot sympathize with them,” Otti exclaimed, earning applause from the church members.

He further advised Abians not to be concerned about his policies, as they were designed for their own good.

The Deputy Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Austin Okezie Meregini, also expressed gratitude to God and the people for his victory in the election and subsequent appointment as Deputy Speaker.

It should be noted that Governor Otti has already established a Judicial Panel of Inquiry, headed by Justice Florence Ikwuoma Duruoha-Igwe of the State High Court Umuahia, to investigate and retrieve alleged stolen government property from individuals who served in previous administrations.

The panel, which also includes Prof Ogwo Ekeoma Ogwo, Mazi Ugochukwu Okoroafor, Rev Fr Alex Okonkwo, and Prof Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, has been given the authority to carry out its duties.

Otti’s administration has taken decisive action against several appointees of the previous administration, including permanent secretaries, as part of its commitment to rooting out corruption and bringing about positive change in Abia State.