The Ohafia Kingdom in Abia State is set to host a grand reception in honour of Governor Alex Otti on November 18, in what organisers describe as the biggest social gathering ever held in the area.
The event, tagged “Ohafia Grand Reception for Governor Alex Otti,” will take place at Central School, Elu Ohafia, the ancestral headquarters of the 26-community clan.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by the Reception Planning Committee, constituted by the Ohafia Improvement Union (OIU), following a consultative meeting with officials of the Abia State Government.
Chairman of the committee, Mr Uduma Okoro Kalu, said the reception was organised to recognise what he described as Otti’s outstanding performance and commitment to good governance, which he said had earned him widespread admiration among the people of Ohafia.
Kalu said the community had resolved to formally adopt the governor as one of its own in recognition of his achievements.
“We want to adopt him as our son because he is performing exceedingly well. In Igbo cosmology, every responsible father or community adopts a child who, through his conduct and achievements, makes the people proud,” he said.
His remarks were contained in a joint statement issued by the committee and the OIU, signed by the union’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Emele Onu.
The union attributed several developmental projects and reforms in the state to the Otti administration, including improved fiscal discipline, the construction of hundreds of kilometres of roads, the transformation of Umuahia, rehabilitation of public schools and healthcare facilities, as well as the introduction of shuttle buses to provide affordable transportation.
It also identified the establishment of the Greater Ohafia Development Authority in 2024, with its headquarters in Ohafia, as one of the administration’s significant achievements.
According to the union, the authority was established to promote balanced infrastructural development and economic growth across the three senatorial zones of Abia State — Abia North, Abia Central and Abia South.
President-General of the OIU, Prince Kalu Ikpemini, said the reception would provide an opportunity for the people to formally acknowledge the governor’s performance and publicly reaffirm their support for his administration.
“We want to adopt the Governor on that day to make a statement to the world that hard work pays off and that, as Ohafia people and stakeholders in Abia State, we appreciate his diligence and support his administration to continue,” Ikpemini said.
He also praised Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu, an indigene of Ohafia, for what he described as his impressive performance in office.
“His Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu, is our son and is doing very well. We therefore affirm our support for the team,” he added.
