The Abia State Government has strongly criticized the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, for his recent comments on the state’s financial management and development trajectory, describing them as “baseless and misleading.”
In a statement issued by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, the government expressed disappointment that a high-ranking federal lawmaker could exhibit what it called “an embarrassing level of economic and financial ignorance.”
Ekeoma was responding to Kalu’s comparison of Governor Alex C. Otti’s administration with previous state governments. The Deputy Speaker had reportedly claimed that the Abia State Government receives ₦38 billion monthly from the Federation Account—an assertion the state has now flatly denied.
“The claim by the Deputy Speaker that Abia gets ₦38 billion monthly from the Federation Account is not only false but deliberately misleading,” the statement said. “The total FAAC receipts for the first eight months of 2025, including allocations to the Local Government Areas, amounted to ₦125 billion.”
According to the statement, the Otti administration has operated transparently and with a firm commitment to accountability and fiscal prudence, despite harsh economic conditions across the country. Ekeoma pointed out that the dramatic decline in the naira’s value—from ₦460 per dollar in April 2023 to around ₦1,500 in 2025—has had a serious impact on the real value of government revenue.
“For someone in Kalu’s position, it is disappointing to ignore basic economic facts. A project that cost ₦1 billion in 2022 now costs nearly
₦4 billion today due to currency devaluation and inflation,” he noted.Ekeoma also outlined some of the key milestones achieved by the Otti-led government. These include raising the state minimum wage from ₦30,000 to between ₦70,000 and ₦74,000, and expanding the verified state workforce from 31,000 to over 67,000 employees. Additionally, the administration has recruited over 5,000 new teachers.
The statement further accused Kalu of remaining silent during previous administrations when Abia workers faced “injustice and neglect.” Ekeoma suggested that Kalu’s sudden criticism may be politically motivated, possibly as a prelude to a 2027 governorship bid.
He also took aim at Kalu’s apparent omission of the administration led by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, whom the Deputy Speaker once served, in his comparative analysis.
“It is ironic that Kalu finds his voice only now. He should know that leadership is about service, not showmanship,” the media aide remarked.
Reaffirming the administration’s dedication to effective governance, Ekeoma stated that the warm reception Governor Otti and President Bola Tinubu’s representative received during a recent visit to Aba was a genuine show of public support—not a rented crowd.
“The crowd that welcomed Governor Otti and President Tinubu’s representative in Aba were not rented. They are everyday Abians who have seen a new direction in leadership,” he asserted.
Ekeoma concluded the statement with a pointed message to the Deputy Speaker: “He should relax, take a cold drink, and wait for campaign time. For now, we are focused on delivering good governance to the people of Abia State.”
