Abia State government has approved the procurement of additional twenty electric buses to improve the transport system in the state.
Governor Alex Otti of gave the approval during this week’s Executive Council meeting.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said the additional procurement brings electric buses to forty.
Charging stations have also been increased to twenty across the state.
Kanu said that the first 20 buses would be delivered in November this year.
Twelve of them will operate in Aba, while 8 will operate in Umuahia the state capital.
The Commissioner revealed that work is ongoing on the construction of Bus terminals in Aba and Umuahia as well as junction improvement and the installation of bus shelters along designated routes.
The Commissioner said the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, in collaboration with a non-governmental organization has onboarded 1,200 Abia youths for the second cohort of the Skills Acquisition Program in garments and leather works.
Creative talent hunt
Kanu explained that the State has launched the Abia State Creative Talent Hunt, targeting young innovators, especially in the music and digital creativity sectors.
The Commissioner said the state government plans to honour three Abian-born players who are members of the Super Falcons team who contributed to Nigeria’s recent victory over Morocco at the WAFCON.
On health, Kanu said that recruitment into the state healthcare workforce is ongoing, with over 1,600 applications already submitted.
He encouraged more qualified persons to apply before the portal closes on 9th August.
The Commissioner said the state will produce an all-year-round cultural compendium, which will include a calendar of festivals, licensed hotels, tourist attractions, and recreational spots across the state.
The move according to him is to boost tourism and investment in the hospitality sector.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Mr Matthew Ekwuruibe, said the state government is committed to harnessing the creative potential of young Abians through targeted programmes and initiatives.
He stated that the programme is open to individuals with tourism-inspired works, visual arts, talents in music, innovative engineering and digital creativity with tangible impact
