Abia State Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, has expressed his readiness to collaborate with his counterparts in the Southeast to give the Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus, a comprehensive facelift.

Governor Otti made this known during a meeting of the South East Law Development Initiative (SELDI), held at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Government House, Umuahia.

The Governor was responding to a request by the Coordinator of the group, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, who is also the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education. Chief Ngige appealed for support for the Enugu campus of the Nigerian Law School, noting that some of its existing facilities are in a deplorable condition.

In response, Governor Otti requested Chief Ngige to formally write to the Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum and copy him, so that he could engage his colleagues in the region on possible collective intervention to address the inadequate infrastructure and deteriorating facilities at the institution.

Currently, Governor Otti’s administration is building what would become one of the best Law Faculties in Nigeria when completed at the Abia State University, Uturu.

While commending lawyers for their critical role as the “last hope of the common man,” Governor Otti encouraged legal practitioners to actively participate in politics. He emphasized that politics should not be left solely in the hands of individuals who rely on it as their primary source of livelihood.

The Governor, who made a brief stop at the meeting while on his way to the reception of his kid sister’s wedding from the Church service, appreciated the contributions of legal practitioners to the society.

“Thank you for what you do for our people. Anyhow you slice and dice it, without the gentlemen of the bar, of course, extending to the bench, the hope of the common man would be dashed,”

“We might not have gotten it right, but just the mere fact that when somebody is oppressed, when somebody is treated unfairly, when somebody feels that his rights have been breached, he has somewhere to go. And that is about hope,” Governor Otti stated.

Speaking further on political participation, Governor Otti urged professionals, whether from Imo, Enugu, Anambra, or elsewhere, to take an active interest in governance.

“Because we have agreed that politicians are people who should be described in a particular way, all of us stayed away. Little did we know that the decision of the politicians affect you one way or the other, in determining what happens to you,” Gov. Otti added.

Quoting the Greek philosopher Plato, the Governor noted that one of the penalties the wise, educated, and smart pay for refusing to participate in politics is being governed by less competent individuals. He went on to say that when such happens, you have lost the right to complain.

“So, we want to see some of us who have second addresses, people who don’t depend on politics to feed. Those are the people that should participate in politics,” Governor Otti stated.

The Governor also expressed appreciation to the senior lawyers for their commendation of his administration’s achievements, stating that though they met a very bad situation on assumption of office, what was important to him was not what he met on ground but where his administration is taking the State to.

Earlier in his speech, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN, thanked the Governor for attending the meeting despite his tight schedule. He explained that SELDI is a meeting of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) from the Southeast, established to advance the legal profession in the region and provide advisory support whenever solicited.

Members of the group commended Governor Otti for his visible infrastructural strides, noting that they had personally witnessed the impactful achievements across the State through the roads they plied and other things they have seen.

They also pledged to offer pro bono legal services to support the State government.

The Abia State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ikechukwu Uwanna, SAN, was among the senior lawyers from the State present at the meeting.

Ctz. UKOHA, NJOKU UKOHA
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
April 6th, 2026.