Otti backs new Navy college commandant in Abia, praises outgoing officer
- Governor Alex Otti received the outgoing and incoming commandants of the Nigerian Navy College of Accounts and Finance in Owerrinta.
- He praised Commodore B.U. Quadri for 19 months of service and urged Commodore Emmanuel Onu to do even better.
- Otti also assured the new head of the Nigerian Correctional Service in the South-East of state support.
Abia State Governor Alex Otti has promised the incoming commandant of the Nigerian Navy College of Accounts and Finance in Owerrinta the same support the state gave his predecessor, and urged him to do even better.
Otti spoke at his office in Nvosi, Isialangwa South, while receiving the outgoing commandant, Commodore B. U. Quadri, and his successor, Commodore Emmanuel Onu, according to reports by Punch and The Sun.
Quadri spent 19 months in the role. The governor thanked him for what he called a good job and for his contributions to security in the state, including at the monthly security council meetings.
“As a great man, he wants you to surpass him,” Otti said of the handover, adding that the state would give Onu the same backing it gave Quadri.
Why it matters for Abia residents
The Navy college at Owerrinta is one of the federal security institutions based in Abia. How well state and federal agencies work together affects policing, safety on the roads and how quickly security problems are reported and handled.
Quadri said his tour was challenging but rewarding, and recalled that his first posting to Abia was in 2004 as a young officer. He thanked the governor for supporting the Navy during his time in the state.
Retired Commander MacDonald Uba, the governor's adviser on security, said the 19-month stay followed the Navy's usual posting pattern of 18 to 24 months for senior officers.
Onu thanked Otti for the reception and promised to build on his predecessor's work.
Correctional service also gets assurance
In a separate visit, Otti assured the acting Assistant Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service for Zone E, headquartered in Owerri, Imo State, of continued support.
The officer, Mrs. Ngozi Alice Okereke, is from Abia. Otti said the state was proud of its daughters and would help where it could, noting that federal agencies in the state serve Abia people.
Okereke thanked the governor for support to the service in the state, including a new 2025 Hilux SUV for the Abia command and help with repairing other operational vehicles.
What happens next: Onu takes over the college at Owerrinta, while the state government says it will keep working with federal security agencies based in Abia.
