Ore mi, you know I am not from Abia o. I am from Ogun State though born and bred in Lagos and I know we in Ogun State have our hands full of our own despotic, incompetent and vengeful Gov Dapo Abiodun to deal with, the gov that seeks to jail truth tellers in our state like the special justadetoun, but this noise I wake up everyday to hear about this Gov Alex Otti is starting to get very annoying in a nation desperate to find one good man in an ocean of incompetent governors
The funniest thing is I was also initially misled by all the propaganda videos flying around and was getting ready to do a white robe rant to praise the man and give him his flowers. Afterall I was part of the Obidients in 2023 and know how much everyone hustled for Peter obi and labor and how he ended up being the only governor we got from that 2023 hustle . so naturally I want him to succeed and prove to everyone that we can get better leaders . though I am no longer obedient to nobody I still want this man to succeed badly. Afterall he comes from the class of corporate executives we all hope can make as different. So you can imagine my shock at what I found as I started speaking to people actually living in Abia to confirm some of the stuff I was going to give him flowers for. It turns out most of those videos of the messianic achievements of Alex Otti in Abia are either outright lies or extreme exaggerations that’s makes my man look like he is still learning work when it comes ot exaggerations and hyperboles.
Omo, It’s one thing to be telling lies all day long. We know it’s what most of our politicians do . Afterall we live in Muguland. Even our so-called pious and religious Buhari in his time have a lying mchine that’s even named lie mohammed . So we get it but when you now start comparing yourself or probably one of the few governors actually doing something like Babajide Sanwoolu and won’t let us rest with your stupid lies and exaggerations, then it’s time to address you publicly
Ore mi I have ot tell you, What Governor Alex Otti’s media propaganda machine is doing in Abia has gone beyond “PR.” . This is now governance-by-propaganda—a government that behaves like a content studio and measures success in likes, retweets, and WhatsApp forwards and fantastic videos of messianic miracles of achievement in a state that is not even paying its pensioners their allowance and it is frankly disgusting
Every week, army of social media warriors probably being paid less then minimum wage dream up drop a fresh “ABIA IS GONE!” post—like Abia has relocated to Switzerland overnight.
You hear fantastic tales under the mango trees like
“Abia has disconnected from the national grid!”
“No blackout in Aba or Umuahia!”
“Biogas is powering all communities in Abia !”
“Free hospital visits and medicines for every citizen above 60 till they die!”
“Electric vehicles are now operating everywhere!”
“And by the way, all roads are now tarred.”
Omo, I was like when did Superman or Jesus become gov of Abia and we dint know? Se won fi iro shey yin ni?
Truth is At this point, Abia is not a state again. It’s a motivational poster.
Now let’s separate truth from spin and outright fiction—because some things are real, but the propaganda inflates them until they become lies.
Please note that Before my rant I spoke to live abians and peopel actually living in Abia and not lvigj on twitter
In area of 1) Electricity: there is some Real progress… but it’s stretched into a fairy tale Yes, Aba’s ring-fenced power arrangement is real. It is a legitimate embedded power setup involving Geometric/Aba Power, and it covers a defined little portion of the state.
But propaganda has turned “Aba ring-fence” into “Abia has achieved power independence.”
That’s like fixing your living room generator and announcing that the entire estate now has uninterrupted electricity.
Alex otti propagandists tell us: “If you are looking for blackout, you won’t find it in Aba or Umuahia.”
Really? So power is now avaiable 24/7 in Abia? Wonderful. Awon omit jati jati
Even the power company itself has had to announce disruptions before. So this “Abia never goes dark” narrative is not a fact—it is an annoying marketing slogan to a nation desperate for great governance news
And slogans don’t keep lights on.
2) “Abia is the first state to take over electricity regulation”
Abia did take over intrastate electricity regulation. That’s a real policy step.
But “the first in Nigeria”? That’s the part that confirms govt by propaganda—because other states had moved in that direction much earlier including Lagos
Why the compulsive need to add “first” to everything when you are not fire? Is governance now a primary school competition?
Number 3, Ottis shameless propagandists tell us : Biogas powering Umuahia farms and communities
I have seen the videos of the claims. Beautiful wording. Inspiring tone. Plenty energy. But here is the issue: making a pilot announcement is not the same as proven, measurable community power supply.
Nigeria is not short of “launches.” Every govt announcing grandiose projects. Even Aregbesola talked tough in Osun state but the olodo former governor ended up not paying workers for years and did not even have commissioners for 3 years.
So we have lots of talents in our govt but most are short of outcomes that ordinary people can feel without reading a press release.
If biogas is already powering communities, show us the numbers, the sites, the output, the scale, and the uptime—something verifiable beyond applause. My staff living there tell me “Oga which one is biogas when I asked them if they are all using biogas. Regular Abia citizens don’t even know what that is much less experience it .
Numbe 4) we also hear The “free healthcare for everyone above 69 till death” story
This one is a classic example of how propaganda people are retarded. A policy that massive does not arrive as a random video under an excited caption. It requires legislation or executive policy instruments, budget allocation, implementation guidelines, hospital circulars, drug supply arrangements, and a formal statewide rollout.
But what do we have? A viral claim… and then silence. And the government doesn’t rush to debunk it—because silence is part of the strategy:
If it trends, they enjoy the praise.
If it’s false, they pretend they never saw it.
That is not transparency. That is manipulation.
5) Electric buses and the “all roads are tarred” comedy
Yes, to be fair I am told by Abia resident tier electric buses exist. Fine. Great idea.But propaganda turns “we introduced some electric buses” into “electric vehicles are operating across Abia now,” as if Abia suddenly became Norway. Electric vehicles have been running in lagos for years
Then we get the funniest one: “They have tarred all the roads.” All the roads? Every single road?
Including the ones leading into villages, farm settlements, and forgotten corners?
At that point, it’s no longer governance. It’s stand-up comedy.
The real problem: Abia is becoming a PR Republic
Let me be clear: the issue is not that Abia has done nothing. The issue is this dangerous habit of inflating limited achievements into statewide miracles—and using influencers to drown out genuine criticism.
A government that is serious about performance does not need to over exaggerate. Results speak.
But when a government starts acting like a media brand, governance becomes a performance. Everything is “historic.” Everything is “unprecedented.” Everything is “a revolution.” Kilode gaan
Meanwhile, citizens on ground are still asking basic questions about power stability, costs, access, and real service delivery.
And that’s the most dangerous leadership style of all: Not the one that struggles and admits it…
But the one that struggles and hires content creators to rename struggle as “acceleration.”
My challenge to Governor Otti
Stop marketing Abia like a digital product launch. Run it like a state.
If the Aba ring-fence is working, excellent—expand it, stabilize it, and make it more affordable.
If the biogas programme is real, show measurable output and independent verification.
If free healthcare exists, publish the policy and implementation details.
If roads are done, publish a project map and timelines.
Because governance is not social media. Budgets are not captions.
And citizens are not fools and I am damn tired of your clowns comparing you to Lagos governor and saying you are better. Leave SANWOOLU alone and face your front. Sho ogba e!
Abia people deserve electricity, not excitement.Hospitals, not hashtags.
Roads, not reels.
Abia is not gone anywhere But truth is being pushed into hiding—and that is far worse than darkness.
Dr Ope Banwo is Mayor Of Fadeyi and Founder, Naija Lives Matter]