The Bold and Honest Truth That Unsettled Otti’s Camp ~ By Uche Aguoru
Since Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, delivered what I have chosen to call “The Bold and Honest Truth” during the commissioning of the costliest road project per kilometre in Nigeria. the infamous Port Harcourt Road in Aba, the entire machinery of Governor Alex Otti’s government has been thrown into a frenzy. Instead of digesting the message and addressing the issues raised, the Otti camp has chosen to unleash their only potent weapon, abuse, lies, coordinated blackmail, and online mob outrage, directed not only at Ben Kalu, but at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself.
And the question remains: what did Ben Kalu say that rattled Otti’s handlers to this degree?
In his remarks, Ben Kalu displayed the very qualities that Governor Alex Otti dreads like a plaque, TRUTH.
He spoke like a true son of Abia, a man with nothing to prove and no interest to protect except that of the common people. His speech was not an insult, neither was it an affront; it was a patriotic wake-up call, a demand for accountability, performance, and transparency from a government that has so far thrived only on propaganda, deceit and self-praise.
But Governor Otti and his media choir, rather than reflect, went berserk, howling like wounded jackals, unleashing insults, and commissioning an online mob of headless and unthinking loyalists whose only qualification for service is the suspension of brain and the worship of fraud and tokenism.
Let’s say it exactly the way it is: after over two years in power, Governor Otti has nothing tangible to display commensurate with the over ₦1 trillion that has flown into Abia’s coffers. The Abia of today is awash with photoshops and social media displays, not real governance. All we have seen are repainting of roofs, patching of roads and rebranding of projects initiated by past governments hastily packaged and labeled as “Otti’s vision.”
Not a single new project? No new hospital, no new schools, jobs are not being created, no clear evidence that the over ₦38 billion on average flowing into the states purse are being put to productive use? Instead, the Otti government hides behind an iron curtain of secrecy. Project costs are withheld, procurement processes are opaque, and Members of his government who dare to ask questions including commissioners, aides, civil servants are allegedly forced to resign or silenced into submission.
And yet, when a man of truth and intellect like Benjamin Kalu dares to speak, the government loses its composure. But truth, no matter how bitter, cannot be erased by noise. Otti’s intolerance for scrutiny is the loudest evidence of guilt.
The irony is that Abia today enjoys more federal presence than at any time in its history, not because of Otti’s effort, but because Ben Kalu is leveraging his national influence to bring development home. While Kalu is building bridges in Abuja, Otti is busy burning them in Abia with propaganda and lies, While Kalu is lobbying for federal projects, Otti’s media team is investing in digital insults and petty propaganda on Ben Kalu and President Tinubu.
The people of Abia did not elect an interior decorator whose job is to repaint and retrofit his predecessors projects neither did they elect a motivational speaker and skit maker, they elected a governor who they are looking upto to for improved welfare and measurable development.
After two full years in office, and with humongous allocations unprecedented in the history of Abia State, the time for excuses should long have expired. But sadly, while our neighbouring states of Imo, Anambra, and Enugu are celebrating monumental infrastructure, new industrial corridors, and transformative urban renewal projects, Governor Alex Otti is busy patching streets, repainting buildings, and refurbishing auditoriums constructed by his predecessors, then staging elaborate ceremonies to present them as great achievements.
And to crown the mockery, he shamelessly invites President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a man of proven developmental vision to come and endorse mediocrity, underperformance, and blatant lack of accountability and transparency. How does a governor who has received more money than all the administrations in Abia’s history put together running into trillions justify his meagre, cosmetic output?
How does one explain the gulf between the massive inflows into the state’s purse and the embarrassingly low level of visible development on the ground?
Governor Otti you must understand that leadership is not about repainting walls and cutting ribbons on recycled projects; it is about legacy, vision, and measurable transformation. Abians did not elect you to resuscitate old paint jobs, they elected you to build a future worthy of their dreams.
So Mr Governor, Rt. Hon. Ben Kalu did not attack you, he only demanded that you must stop hiding behind slogans, inflated contracts, and cosmetic facelifts. Stop weaponizing propaganda and social media intimidation, Show the people what you have done with their money. Publish your project costs. Explain why a government with huge record inflows has delivered nothing revolutionary.
Governor Otti, you should also remember that commissioning your data boys to insult people who dared to speak the truth is old fashioned and does not discourage us, also that propaganda last but for a while, transformative development requires honesty, discipline, and vision these are qualities your administration has so far failed to demonstrate.
Let me not fail to remind you that intimidating everyone with court action can never deter us from asking for accountability and transparency and we will never get tired of asking you to kindly provide evidence of the ₦54 billion schools you claim to have built. Abians are no longer hypnotized by sweet talk; they are watching, counting, and waiting.
In the end, history will remember Benjamin Kalu as the man who spoke truth to power when others trembled and Alex Otti as the man who mistook applause for achievement.
Aguoru
is a Public Affairs Analyst.
