Abia State Governor, Alex Otti says his administration will continue to collaborate with other governors in the South -East to enhance security in the region.
Gov. Otti stated this while addressing reporters after a closed-door meeting with the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mba who visited him in his office.
He thanked Gov. Mba for the cordial relationship existing between the two states.
“You know, we share boundaries. So, some of the things we discussed are also, how to ensure that there is security and that our people are secured in those places.
“So, we talked about the Enugu State government and Abia State government partnering, because if he successfully drives away criminals from there, they will probably end up here.
“If we don’t do anything, then, one part of the South- East will be secured and the other part will not be. So, this kind of cooperation is very important,” Gov. Otti stated.
The governor said that his administration and many other states are in support of the creation of state police and expressed the hope that the federal government would consider their position in no distant time.
This is contained in a statement issued on Saturday and made available to journalists in Umuahia on Sunday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha.
“I’m completely in synagy with my brother’s (Gov. Mba) position. As a matter of fact, our two Ssates and many other states, have supported the creation of state police.
“And, I believe that the federal government will do something about that very soon. You know, the issue about security is local, just like politics,” Gov. Otti maintained.
Gov. Otti equally affirmed his support for the call for the creation of an additional state in the South East region, noting that South East is the only region across the six geo-political zones with five states.
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Gov. Mba said that he came to rub minds with Gov. Otti on issues of common interest between the two states which is centered on providing a better life for the people as both of them came from the private sector.
He noted that coming from the same geo-political zone and sharing common boundaries, their programmes and policies must have far reaching impact on the two states, and commended the giant strides of Gov. Otti.
“So, I essentially came to talk about how we would continue to serve our people better. And so, that’s largely why I’m here for us to compare notes.
“Our focus is largely on governance. We believe that the people are the epicentre of governance. So, what we do, the projects and programmes we execute are all about the people.
“I also came to commend him for the great work he is doing for the people of Abia State across several sectors. And I’m sure, you know that’s something we have in common between Abia and Enugu,” Gov. Mbah said.