• Begins biogas project in secondary schools
•As Otti Marks 3rd anniversary with inauguration of 25 roads
Boniface Okoro in Umuahia
To institute maintenance culture, the Abia State Government has established a Biomedical Unit charged with ensuring maintenance and repairs of medical equipment in state government hospitals to prevent downtime.
Similarly, the government has established a biogas digester to drive a biogas demonstration project in schools in the state for renewable energy adoption, with a secondary school in Owerrinta already chosen for the pilot project.
Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, brought these developments to public notice at Government House, Umuahia, during a joint press briefing on the outcome of this week’s State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting, adding that Governor Alex Otti would inaugurate over 25 road projects to mark his third anniversary in office.
To achieve the goal of ensuring that medical equipment were in good condition and functional, Kanu disclosed that a hands-on training programme was ongoing for Biomedical Engineers and staff of the Ministry of Health on equipment maintenance, in collaboration with Medshare USA and CPR USA Engineers currently in the state to train the indigenous engineers.
The 10-day training programme designed to build local capacity for the maintenance and management of modern medical equipment in state-owned health facilities commenced on May 12, 2026 and ends on May 22, 2026.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, said the Biomedical Unit was established to ensure sustainability in the ongoing healthcare reforms in the state.
“We don’t just want to build hospitals, equip them and then the equipment will malfunction; and then we won’t be able to have the quality of care that the governor has promised in Abia.
“So, this was well thought out to ensure that we have a unit that maintains that equipment to reduce or eliminate downtime,” Uche said.
On the biogas project, the Information Commissioner said it is designed to demonstrate the viability of converting organic waste into renewable energy within educational institutions across the state.
“The bio-gas initiative is intended to assess the affordability, scalability, and acceptance of the technology in schools, while also generating research data that could support wider implementation across the state.
“The programme, when fully on stream, will demonstrate the viability of biogas as a renewable energy source from organic waste within schools or institutions,” Kanu stated.
He explained the pilot project, which is currently in its early stages, is expected to begin gas production within a few weeks. If successful, the initiative would be replicated in other schools and public institutions throughout Abia.
With regards to the third anniversary celebration holding this month, Kanu revealed that Governor Alex Otti would inaugurate over 25 road projects across the state to mark his three years in office.
He listed some of the roads to be commissioned to include, Onuimo-Tower road, Abiriba-Ohafia road, Nunya-Isuikwuato road, Umuafai-Lodu-Ahiaeke-Okwuta road, among others.
The Commissioner said that the State Executive Council has advised all political appointees in the state to take particular interest and ownership of government projects in their communities, “to ensure that minor repairs or improvements in infrastructure are handled as the need arises.”
According to him, the appointees have equally been tasked to ensure that the state projects in their domains are fixed and maintained, sanitation of their schools, as well as maintenance of cleanliness and hygiene in their communities.
“In this way, mayors, councilors, and even local government appointees will take interest in the development of infrastructure and clean environment in their communities,” Kanu said.
He added, “This is one way the state government is trying to build a bulwark of support for communities in the state from these appointees both at the state and the local government levels.”
In his contribution, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, warned that henceforth, the state government would start taking “a very strong stance against those who drive against traffic” in the state, especially in the state capital.
He noted that government has observed with dismay, how some drivers drive against traffic, emphasizing that, “those who drive against traffic, and those who refuse to obey traffic light would be punished according to extant traffic laws.”
