Alex Otti Continues Delivering on Health Promises as Abia PHCs Come Alive

Abia State Governor Alex Otti on Wednesday continued the state-wide rollout of his primary healthcare overhaul, inaugurating the Alaukwu Ward Primary Health Centre in Umuagu, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area, as part of the ongoing Project Ekwueme initiative.

The inauguration is the latest under Project Ekwueme, Otti's initiative to functionalise and retrofit primary health centres across all 17 local government areas in the state, which began in 2025. The governor was represented at the ceremony by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche.

Otti said the facilities had been equipped to a standard comparable to those found in developed countries, a claim he backed with specific reference to the centre's labour room. "If you enter this primary health centre, you will see equipment that is similar to what you have in London," he said. "If you enter the labour room, you will see the same facilities you would in any well-equipped teaching hospital. Not just any teaching hospital, I am talking about a well-equipped teaching hospital."

Beyond the physical infrastructure, the governor disclosed that his administration has consistently maintained a 15 per cent budgetary allocation to the health sector, in line with the United Nations benchmark for healthcare spending by governments. He also announced that one doctor would be deployed to each of the state's 17 local government areas to provide direct oversight for primary healthcare centres within their territories.

Residents were urged by the governor to take ownership of the newly upgraded facilities and actively protect them from vandalism, a concern that has historically undermined the lifespan of public infrastructure projects across the state and the wider southeast region.

The member representing Isiala Ngwa South in the Abia State House of Assembly, Dennis Chinwendu, commended the governor and gave assurances that constituents would safeguard the facility. Local government officials and community leaders also addressed the gathering, with the LGA Health Administration Secretary specifically advising residents to avoid patronising unqualified medical practitioners and instead utilise the upgraded centres now available to them.

Project Ekwueme is widely regarded as one of the more tangible governance deliverables of Otti's administration since he assumed office in 2023. Wednesday's inauguration adds to a growing list of health facilities brought under the Project Ekwueme framework since the programme launched in 2025.

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