Governor Alex Otti and senior officials of the Administration sat down for an intensive retreat over the weekend at the International Conference Centre Umuahia.
The 2-day event drew world-renowned experts in change management and peak performance and leverages as guest speakers and resource persons with PwC providing professional support.
The coaches at the retreat include Mr Stephen Orasanya, former Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Maxwell Uba, FCIMC, of Strategy House, Mr Kelvin Emmanuel, co-founder/CEO at Diary Hills and Rev Tony Akinyemi of Rapha Institute for Healthy Living.
Important presentations were also made by key functionaries of the Abia State University, including Messrs Kingsley Anosike, the Commissioner of Budget and Planning, Charles Egonye and Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu.
Dist. Senator Darlington Nwokocha, who attended the session on Sunday, was full of praises for the Governor and his team for putting the retreat together, expressing optimism that great development strides would be recorded in the State in the New Year.
As a participant in the 2-day exercise, I would leave you with 5 central takeaways…
1. Governor Alex Otti did not just come to the office prepared; he remains a stickler for continuous learning.
As someone who has closely observed the Governor over the last 20 months, I often wonder how he can give so much attention to the things the average Nigerian big man will just toss over and continue with no care in the world. Normally, a regular oga will just step in, declare the retreat open, pose for the cameras, talk to a few people and then say his goodbye. Not Governor Otti. Not only did he arrive earlier than many of the people who ought to have been seated before his arrival, but he did not miss one minute of the entire exercise. You will always find him listening, taking notes, providing clarity, asking questions or giving directions. The good thing about the Governor is that he continues to lead the way, challenging stereotypes and teaching those of us privileged to be close to him that leadership is essentially about service, sacrifice and commitment.
2. Abia State has gained the attention of the world:
A time was when this State was either unknown or oddly notorious. Notorious for poor development, dirty urban locations and lack of leadership vision. Today, however, the story is different. Many observers and commentators are saying great things about Abia, its Governor and the world-class leadership team he assembled. Then, of course, the transformation that has happened in urban waste evacuation, infrastructure and security.
3. Building an atmosphere of trust:
In the past, political officeholders dreaded being in the same room with civil servants. It was a no, no. The civil servants saw the politicians as political journeymen, the politicians saw the civil servants as barriers to their ambitions. Today in Abia, however, the story has changed; Governor Otti holds regular meetings with permanent secretaries and senior political appointees in attendance. Issues are dissected collectively, and a consensus is achieved in areas of key concern.
4. Individual differences should not be a barrier to progress:
It is difficult to get everyone to agree on the same thing for reasons of differences in exposure, upbringing, education and motivation. Even then, what makes great teams is hardly unanimity of opinions or thoughts but the fact that the key players recognise their differences but keep their focus on the big picture. The retreat was a good opportunity to learn and share thoughts on managing differences within and across teams.
5. Mistakes, lessons and corrections:
Many of us in Government are still learning the nuances of the public sector operating environment, so sincere mistakes are bound to happen from time to time. These mistakes eventually become learning opportunities for the participants, and the lessons learned are harnessed to improve future engagements and outcomes. The retreat provided guidance on how to leverage the lessons learned from previous mistakes for growth by the individuals and institutions of government.
And now, we move from the drawing board to the execution field…
I wish our dear Governor and everyone who is committed to making Abia a great community of happy people this 2025 success and the speed of the spirits.
By Dodor Okafor, Senior Special Assistant to Gov Alex Otti on Public Communication
Discussion about this post