EXPOSED: How Gov. Otti Scrapped Enyimba Economic City, Transformed Owaza’s Industrial Project Into Real Estate Venture

In 2019, hopes surged across Abia State with the unveiling of the Enyimba Economic City, a $4 billion public-private industrial initiative designed to spearhead large-scale development and economic transformation in the South-East. Strategically located between Ukwa West and Ugwunagbo LGAs, the project garnered backing from global financial institutions like the African Development Bank (AfDB) and First Bank Nigeria, with the Federal Government holding a 20% equity stake. Despite this solid foundation, Governor Alex Otti, shortly after assuming office in 2023, abruptly revoked the project. Sources allege this decision was not based on merit but because he disliked the perceived political affiliation of its promoters, who were seen as opponents who did not support his gubernatorial ambition.

Enyimba city

What many viewed as a bold step and promising vision was quickly buried beneath political maneuvering, media optics, and what can only be described as deliberate administrative sabotage.

Upon scrapping the project, Governor Alex Otti publicly dismissed the Enyimba Economic City as a deceitful land grab by the former administration, aimed at defrauding the Ukwa la Ngwa people. Without any forensic audit or proper assessment of the project’s progress, including completed land acquisitions, regulatory approvals, and over $4 million in technical investment, he unilaterally withdrew state support.

In what many observers now characterize as a hasty and vindictive move, Otti introduced his own version: the Abia Industrial and Innovation Park (AIIP). While presented as a novel economic solution, the AIIP bore striking similarities to the Enyimba Economic City in location, structure, and ambition, albeit without the same level of stakeholder buy-in or multilateral investment.

Even passionate appeals from notable figures like the late Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, and Afreximbank President, Dr. Benedict Oramah, were ignored. Otti remained determined to chart his own course, even at the expense of derailing a major national project.

In November 2023, the Governor staged a grand media event in Owaza, Ukwa West, to “flag off” construction of a seaport and refinery, allegedly key components of the AIIP. Dramatic 3D visuals, conceptual diagrams, and eloquent speeches captivated the press and dazzled the public.

However, nearly three years later, the reality is sobering.

Investigations reveal that the AIIP site remains an untouched expanse of land: no fences, no equipment, not a single block laid. Alarmingly, portions of this land are now being discreetly parceled out for residential developments. Even worse, landowners have yet to receive full compensation, fueling growing resentment and anger among the affected communities.

Critics draw sharp parallels with Otti’s tenure in the financial sector, where a bank under his leadership reportedly collapsed, even while being celebrated in the media. To many, this “performance-first, delivery-later” model appears to be repeating itself, this time at the expense of the people of Owaza.

“There’s no refinery, no seaport, and no industrial estate,” a local youth leader told NwokeukwuMascot.com. “Just plots and promises.”

The people of Ukwa, who surrendered their ancestral lands in hopes of industrial jobs and economic renewal, now watch helplessly as their dreams are sold off plot by plot.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the AIIP was never about real industry but about political imagery. While Lagos-based media influencers continue to paint glowing portraits of the administration, the veil of deception is rapidly falling. Abians are beginning to see through the fog of staged headlines and glossy narratives. The gap between what is publicized and what is real is widening by the day.

“This government is built on manipulation,” a stakeholder from Ukwa said. “Not only was a national project hijacked and shelved, but the community whose land was taken is still waiting for fair compensation.”

Meanwhile, the political cost is becoming evident. The much-hyped “Labour Party revolution” that brought Otti to power is crumbling under the weight of internal disillusionment. The Governor’s rumored Plan B, a switch to the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), is viewed by many not as a fresh path but as a desperate fallback.

Abians are no longer fooled. Across party lines, a broad opposition coalition is forming, united not just by politics but by growing public frustration. The consensus is building: neither the Labour Party nor the ZLP can shield Governor Otti from the consequences of failed promises.

A dream once destined to place Abia at the center of industrial Africa has been sacrificed at the altar of ego and propaganda. In its place stands a trail of abandoned vision, unpaid communities, and a land once rich in promise, now stripped and sold.

Many agree that even if the Enyimba Economic City was imperfect, it could have been refined, not discarded. Today, Abia has lost not just a world-class development opportunity but also the credibility to attract serious industrial investors shortly.

As more Abians awaken to this reality, the countdown to political accountability has truly begun. For now, the only thing rising in Owaza is doubt.