Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has disclosed that fraudulent bank accounts previously maintained by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies were closed down by his administration.

He said that the discovery of such accounts at the inception of his administration was made possible through the Treasury Single Account, TSA, which he introduced, adding that it led to the removal of ghost workers from payroll.

Governor Otti made the disclosure while delivering his speech at the 2025 Ngwa Convention, held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.

The Governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Caleb Ajagba, said that the gains of the financial policy contributed immensely to the regular payment of workers and pensioners, adding that health, education, security, and infrastructure have received much attention.

“In the early days of the administration, the Treasury Single Account was introduced and this cleaned up payrolls through verification to remove ghost workers, and moved to digital payment systems.

“The implication is that several fraudulent bank accounts maintained by MDAs across the state that could not be accounted for were closed, thus ushering us into better management and use of public funds for the public good,” Otti said.

He commended the members of the Ngwa Clan in diaspora for their contributions to the development of Abia and urged them to do more by partnering with his administration in the ongoing development of the State through investing at home.

Otti informed the Ngwa diaspora community that Abia is now one of the safest States following the crime-fighting efforts of the Abia joint security team, Operation Crush, which he said reduced kidnappings and other violent crimes in Abia to a minimum.

He also noted that teaching of the Igbo language and history has received priority from his administration, emphasizing that the policy would ensure that the young and future generations don’t lose track of their history and culture.