The Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti has approved running costs for heads of institutions through the Ministry of Education.
During a briefing with reporters in Umuahia on Monday, Commissioner for Information Okey Kanu shared the results of the week’s Executive Council meeting led by the state governor.
He stated, “As part of ongoing education sector reforms, the state government has received approval from Governor Alex Otti, through the Ministry of Education, to allocate funds for operational costs for school heads in the state.
He stated that this initiative reflects a commitment to transparency and proper funding in the education sector, fostering an environment where schools can operate without the burden of unauthorized fees.
“Before now, we are used to hearing stories of illegal collections of fees and so on, occasioned, maybe by pressure on the heads of institutions. So, the state government has gone ahead to ensure that this becomes history by providing funds for heads of schools in secondary and primary institutions across the state”, he mentioned.
The Commissioner also announced that the European Union has selected Abia as a pilot state for solar lighting in its health institutions.
Kanu stated, “The state government’s Light Up Abia initiative is already yielding positive results. As a result of its accomplishments, Abia State has been chosen as one of five states to participate in Nigeria’s Solar-for-Health project, an initiative sponsored by the EU.”
“The project is targeted at providing solar power for state-owned Health Institutions. The state government will provide counterpart funding to the tune of 30% while the EU will provide 70%”.
He also revealed that the state government, via the Ministry of Works, has completed 124 roads throughout the state, mainly in Aba and Umuahia.
The commissioner mentioned that, in accordance with the state government’s zero pothole policy, the Ministry of Works has been actively implementing this initiative throughout the state, with a primary focus on Aba and Umuahia.
He stated that the Ndoki road in Ukwa East is expected to be officially commissioned in the coming four to five weeks.
“The long-awaited project is nearing completion, and preparations are underway for the inauguration”, he added.
