In 2019, hopes soared across Abia State as the Enyimba Economic City, a $4 billion public-private industrial initiative was unveiled to spearhead large-scale development and economic transformation in the South-East. Strategically located between Ukwa West and Ugwunagbo LGAs.


The project enjoyed 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 Despite this strong foundation, the project was revoked without hesitation by Governor Alex Otti shortly after assuming office in 2023 not on the basis of merit, but reportedly because he did not like the faces of its promoters, who were perceived as political opponents that didn’t support his gubernatorial ambition.



What many saw as a bold step and promising vision was quickly buried under the weight of politics, media optics, and what can be best describes 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 abruptly withdrew state support.


In what many observers now describe as a hasty and vindictive move, Otti introduced his own version: the Abia Industrial and Innovation Park (AIIP). Though presented as a novel economic solution, AIIP bore striking similarities to 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, fell on deaf ears. Otti was determined to chart his own course even if it meant 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.


But 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 are drawing sharp parallels with Otti’s tenure in the financial sector, where a bank under his leadership reportedly collapsed even as it was 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 quickly falling. Abians are beginning to see through the fog of staged headlines and glossy narratives. The gulf between what’s publicized and what’s 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 Labour Party nor 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 in the near future.


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.