By Anule Emmanuel
ia measured, policy‑driven address recently at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State described security as the indispensable precondition for prosperity.
The Governor’s position agrees with those of the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jacob Helberg who in May this year, while speaking at a press roundtable at the US Embassy in Georgetown said that “We understand and agree that security is a precondition for prosperity.
World wide, leaders have come to agree that indeed, national prosperity is inextricably tied to national security. Without a minimum level of safety and order, economic activity, education, health care, and democratic participation all break down.
Along these lines of thoughts, Governor Otti at the Umuahia conference therefore, urged leaders in the South‑East to deepen collaboration, broaden economic opportunity and deny safe havens to criminal networks.
Speaking to a gathering that included Governors from the region, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), and a cross‑section of federal and state government officials, Governor Otti said the constitutionally stated purpose of government — security and the welfare of the people — must translate into relentless practical measures on the ground.
“Security is the foundation of prosperity,” Otti told the summit.
He emphasized that until citizens are made sufficiently secure — free from the threats of criminals and those who profit from chaos — no real development can happen.”
The Abia State Governor’s address, which combined legalistic framing with an explicit appeal to operational tactics, sketched a dual strategy: hardening the environment for criminals, and expanding legitimate economic alternatives that remove incentives for crime.
A tactical approach, Governor Otti said, has already produced measurable returns. He therefore credited recent gains in the region to stepped‑up intelligence sharing, incentive packages for security personnel, investment in surveillance technology and enhanced public enlightenment.
Those moves, he argued, have “made crime and criminality unprofitable in most parts of the region,” even as he acknowledged pockets of continuing unrest.
That balance between enforcement and opportunity was a persistent theme. While promising tough treatment for perpetrators — “you commit a crime, you pay the price” — Governor Otti also urged a widened front against the supply chains that feed violent crime: drug networks, arms suppliers and those who harbor criminals.
“Kidnappers, robbers and drug dealers do not care about human lives,” he warned, calling on citizens to report suspicious activity rather than protect perpetrators on the basis of kinship or community ties.
The Governor positioned socio‑economic policy as the strategic complement to policing. He strongly advocated for huge investments in education, job creation and entrepreneurship as long‑term tools to reduce the desperation that can drive people into criminality.
Governor Otti did not miss the opportunity of highlighting infrastructure and manpower projects across the South‑East — improved roads, school support and agricultural initiatives — as evidence that governments are already building those alternatives.
The summit, Otti said, was also a timely intervention ahead of an election season that could inflame political tensions.
In the view of the Governor, participants must adopt measures that would forestall political violence and protect citizens’ rights to contest and choose without fear. This specific appeal reflected the implicit tradeoffs governments in the region must navigate: bolstering security without eroding civil liberties, and applying forceful law‑enforcement while preserving the openness expected in democratic competition.
All through his remarks, Governor Otti emphasized the importance of coalition building. He thanked federal agencies for choosing Umuahia as the summit site and praised security operatives for restoring normalcy in communities once dominated by criminal groups.
The gathering’s stated theme — “collaborative approaches to strengthening security and regional stability” — echoed his insistence that no single state or agency could secure the region alone.
What must not be missed out is that Governor Otti’s message encapsulates a call for broader shift in regional security strategy: from episodic crackdowns to sustained, multi‑pronged campaigns that mix intelligence, technology, incentives and community engagement. An idea that could blend with the present drive to establish a State Policing system for Nigeria.
While several questions persist such as how the different States could sustain funding for surveillance and incentive schemes or whether community reporting can be encouraged without generating reprisals, and if these kinds of measures can restrict criminal mobility risk widening state coercion in ways that alienate citizens,
Governor Otti believes that going forward especially in the South East region, crime must be treated as an economic problem as much as a security one.
It is all about reshaping the South‑East’s approach to safety and security that guarantees business and quality life for the people.
