The governor, Alex, said that in its bid to boost the economy, the Abia State government has moved from waste removal and disposal to recycling and power generation.
Otti announced this during his monthly media briefing with the theme “Governor Otti speaks to Abians” for October in Umuahia, the state capital.
He said feasibility studies for the programme, tagged “waste-to-wealth initiative,” which will improve the education, health, and infrastructure sectors, had been completed.
His words: “We’ve been holding discussions with investors to convert waste into methane gas and electricity using models from Europe and other advanced economies.
Otti, who declared a state of emergency on sanitation upon taking office in 2023, expressed delight with the performance of the State Environmental Protection Agency.
The agency has achieved remarkable success in maintaining sanitation across the major cities of Aba, Umuahia, Ohafia, and other local government areas.
He talks with the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria on the takeover and revival of moribund Aba Star Paper Mills, Modern Ceramics, Umuahia, International Glass Industry, and Aba Textile Mills.
According to him, “The whole idea is for us to recover the industries and hand them over to experts to be managed under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement
”And this will in turn create employment, raise the state’s Gross Domestic Product, improve Internally Generated Revenue, and reduce poverty levels.”
