Dalung praises Governor Otti for his leadership and development efforts

Former Sports Minister Solomon Dalung has praised Abia State Governor Alex Otti for taking responsibility and apologising over the recent strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Abia State University (ABSU).
Mr Dalung, who is a lawyer, said the governor’s choice to admit the government’s failure is commendable. This is important in a political setting where officials usually pass the blame when things go wrong.
He shared his thoughts in a Facebook post on Sunday while looking back at Mr Otti’s leadership and the state’s progress.

Otti apologises over ASUU strike

Mr Otti recently apologised to the ABSU community about the strike. He called it avoidable and took responsibility for not resolving the issues quickly.
The governor said ASUU’s demands were approved by his government but got stuck in bureaucratic delays.
“I failed them. I failed them,” Mr Otti stated while apologising to the university community.
The ABSU-ASUU chapter began an indefinite strike on 11 August after a 14-day ultimatum was given to the university’s Governing Council.
The union’s demands included carrying out the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, fixing promotion issues, settling unremitted cooperative deductions, and paying outstanding Earned Academic Allowances from 2009.
The strike was resolved after a committee, led by the Secretary to the Abia State Government, stepped in. The government announced on 24 August that the issues had been addressed.

‘Visible changes across Abia’

Mr Dalung said the apology was just one part of what he found remarkable about Mr Otti’s leadership.
“I have seen what is happening in Abia under Otti, and one thing that stands out is the amount of work going on across the state,” he explained.
He mentioned roads, schools, healthcare, and other infrastructure as areas where he believes the government is serious about development.
Mr Dalung stated that Nigerians should notice good governance no matter their political affiliation, ethnicity, or religion.
“We have become so used to judging politicians by party, ethnicity, religion, and political alignment that we sometimes overlook good work when we see it,” he said.

‘Otti will not get everything right’

Mr Dalung admitted that Mr Otti’s government would not make all the right moves, pointing to the ASUU issue as proof.
“But there is a difference between a government that makes mistakes while genuinely trying to do well and one that spends four years explaining why nothing can be done,” he said.
He noted that he does not live in Abia and has no reason to join Mr Otti’s “political fan club,” but he believes the visible changes in the communities deserve recognition.

‘People don’t eat political slogans’

Mr Dalung said political differences should not stop Nigerians from seeing achievements or pointing out failures.
“People don’t eat political party slogans,” he said. “They use the roads. They send their kids to schools. They go to hospitals.”
He added that a governor’s ability to admit failure while delivering real projects should be part of how we judge leadership.
“Politics should not blind us to the point where we cannot see competence when it is right in front of us,” Mr Dalung said.