Abia State Governor Alex Otti has declared that his administration will not negotiate with criminals who destroyed the state in the past.

Governor Otti, who stated this in two separate church services at The Master’s Vessel Church, Umuahia North, and Power World Ministry Int’l, Umuahia, on Sunday, said that the criminals whom he did not mention were now resorting to blackmail and falsehood against his administration because their calls for negotiation with his administration and lobbying for inclusion in governance failed.

“And the next thing they do is to start attacking you thinking you would call them for negotiations. We are not doing anything wrong.

“Ours is a government that has integrity; we will never negotiate with criminals,” Governor Otti vowed.

He disclosed that his administration was working hard to bring back that culture of hard work and contentment among the people by creating the enabling environment for them to pursue decent livelihoods and be proud of their work, business, and who they were.

Governor Otti pointed out that the free and compulsory education that he declared at the basic and secondary school levels led to the massive enrollment of pupils and students in public schools, which had brought enormous pressure to the poor and inadequate educational facilities in the state.