Otti made the vow during a meeting with members of Bende North's Council of Traditional Rulers.

The meeting was held at the residence of Eze Uwakwe Ukaegbu, Chairman of the Council and Traditional Ruler of Amaofufe Autonomous Community, Igbere, Bende Local Government Area.

He stated that Abia was blessed with commercial amounts of various natural resources in Bende, Umuahia South, Arochukwu, and Ukwa, among other places.

He stated that the resources were mostly unexplored and that they should be fully utilised to help the state economy thrive.

Bende, according to Otti, possesses phosphate reserves that may be used to generate fertiliser for local use and export.

He also stated that the rich Kaoline in Umuahia South will be used to manufacture ceramics and tiles, hence increasing the state's income profile.

"By the time we arrive, we will have revived the dormant industries, attracted new ones, and created jobs for our teeming young," he promised.

The former Managing Director of the defunct Diamond Bank Plc lamented the state's infrastructural deficit and previous administrations' failure to develop the state.

"Those who control the state do not comprehend the role of money in economic growth," he remarked.

"They also lacked in-depth understanding of how to generate wealth among citizens," Otti added.

He stated that, with or without Federal Allocation, Abia will see unprecedented prosperity and economic development during his tenure as governor.

He stated that the funds received by Abia from the Federation Account and domestically produced revenue were sufficient to enable the regular payment of wages, pensions, and gratuities.

He attributed the problem of irregular salary and pension payments on political leaders' avarice.

In response, Ukaegbu informed Otti of their overwhelming support for his election triumph.

At the Okoko Item Townhall, the governorship candidate also addressed stakeholders from Item, Igbere, and Ugwueke, promising to empower youths and women if elected.

He advised them to form cooperative groups in order to take advantage of his proposed lending facility.

He stated that he would put aside N5 billion from the security vote on a monthly basis to provide soft and easy loans for cooperative members to assist them in growing their companies.

"When we have succeeded in empowering our kids, we will have effectively controlled crime and criminality in Abia.

"There is a connection between poverty and crime.

"The current instability in the state and country is connected to poverty and high rate of young unemployment and underemployment calculated at roughly 71 per cent.

"Our jobless children perpetrate the majority of armed robbery, abduction, and banditry in the state," he claimed.

Otti also spoke to a gathering of his supporters in Alayi about his manifesto, which he said was meant to reconstruct Abia and restore its people's dignity.

He advised registered voters in the region to make every effort to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards.

"This is the only way you can vote out Abia's rot and vote in your economic success and empowerment," he stated.

Otti stated that he was running primarily to free the state from the grips of incompetent and unscrupulous politicians and to put it on the road of long-term growth.

He thanked the people of the area for their overwhelming support in the 2015 governorship election.

He advised them not to be dismayed by the election results and the Supreme Court's unfavourable decision.

He assured them that INEC's unwavering commitment to using technology in the conduct of the general elections would guarantee that votes were counted.

"Nobody will rig the election using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machine and electronic transmission of results," Otti stated.

Among those in his entourage were his running companion, Mr Ikechukwu Eletue, the Campaign Council's Director-General and former House of Representatives member, Chief Acho Obioma, and his wife, Cecilia.

(Source: gazettengr.com)