Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has declared that the state’s most valuable resource is its youth — not oil, gold, or land.
Speaking at the official opening of the 2025 Abia Leadership Academy Bootcamp on Thursday at Government College, Umuahia, Governor Otti said leadership must be cultivated early in life through values, choices, and skills, not learned only after assuming political office.
Represented by Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, Otti described the Bootcamp as a “seed-planting exercise” and an investment in future leaders of Abia, Nigeria, and the world. The programme, he explained, is designed to sharpen the minds, hearts, and hands of young people — training them to think critically, care deeply, and work skillfully.
“At 16 to 20 years old, your character and vision are like wet cement; what you allow to be written on it now will remain for a long time,” he told participants, urging them to embrace integrity, teamwork, problem-solving, confidence, self-reliance, and nation-building.
Otti stressed that self-reliance means being equipped to create solutions, jobs, and value without depending on government handouts. His administration, he said, is committed to ensuring Abia’s young people are “active leaders in practice, not just future leaders in theory.”
The governor challenged participants to ask questions, step out of their comfort zones, and apply lessons learned beyond the classroom, noting that “true leadership is about what you do in real life.”
Earlier, Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, said the Bootcamp is a transformational initiative aimed at producing ethical, empathetic, and responsible leaders.
“It’s about doing the right thing, even when it’s unpopular, and using power to empower others,” Kalu said, urging the youths to open their minds, act boldly, and lead with compassion.
He added that the academy seeks to inspire leaders who will make society better, not through noise or influence, but through wisdom, consistency, and integrity.
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