Alex Otti: All that Is In a Name! By Manny Ita

Names really must have meanings and taking a
walk though history, it is evident that the name
Alexander has been associated with great,
courageous, bold people who made remarkable
strides in their lifetimes and etched their names
in the sands of time as kings, popes, emperors,
soldiers, technocrats etc., people who charted
the course of history for noble and selfless
causes.

Alex Otti is a man cut into this mould; a man
whose technocratic skills and distinctions have
stood him out everywhere he has been
opportune to serve. Perhaps, the only
dissimilarity with the rest of the aforementioned
pack is his modest upbringing.
Born February 18, 1965 to the family of late
Pastor and Mrs. Lazarus Weze Otti at Umuru,
Umuehim village in Ehi Na Uguru Ancient
Kingdom, Isiala Ngwa South LGA of Abia State
where he began his primary education, Alex Otti
completed his secondary school education at
Ngwa High school, Aba and Secondary
Technical School, Okpuala Ngwa in Abia State.
Alex’s stellar performances in life can well be
traced to his foundation of education, which
has ensured excellence relentlessly dogs the
entire life of the technocrat.
Finishing as the best student in his set during
the school certificate examinations, Alex went
on to graduate at the University of Port
Harcourt in 1998 with a First Class honours
degree in Economics, distinguishing himself as
the best student of the Faculty of Social
Sciences, as well as the Overall Best Graduating
Student for that year, emerging the
Valedictorian.
Otti also proved his mettle as news editor for
the school newsletter, Uniport Mirror. He was
treasurer of the University Chapter of the
Nigerian Economic Students’ Association
(NESA) in 1986 and subsequently became the
president of the association the following year.
Alex Otti’s scholastic distinctions, dedication
and focus are qualities which over the years
have seen him take the financial world like a
colossus. He was appointed Group Managing
Director/CEO of Diamond Bank Plc. on March 1,
2011, from the position of Executive Director in
First Bank Nigeria Plc (Head of Commercial
Banking and Head of the Regional Businesses in
the South-Southern and South-Eastern Geo-
Political zones) from where he led Diamond
Bank out of the shadows into a robust and
leading retail bank in Nigeria,thus making the
bank a more profitable and attractive one.
Highly respected for his wealth of knowledge,
Otti is on the board of several companies and is
also on the board of two of Nigeria’s leading
universities. In 2009 he was conferred with an
honorary doctorate degree by Babcock
University and in 2012, an honorary Doctor of
Science (D.Sc.) Degree by the University of Port
Harcourt.
Alex has scored a number of firsts also. He was
honoured with the 1st USAfrica International
Banker of the Year, in recognition of his
outstanding and distinguished services to
Nigeria and the world through banking in 2013
at the 20th Anniversary of USAfrica in Houston,
presented by U.S Congressman Al Green.
An alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business
School, Otti has attended various international
courses including the Executive Development
Programmes of the Columbia Business and
Stanford Business School and Wharton
Business School (University of Pennsylvania).
Highly respected for his wealth of knowledge,
Otti is on the board of several companies and is
also on the board of two of Nigeria’s leading
universities. In 2009 he was conferred with an
honorary doctorate degree by Babcock
University and in 2012, an honorary Doctor of
Science (D.Sc.) Degree by the University of Port
Harcourt.
With the emergence of a fresh crop of
technocrats in government across Nigeria, Dr.
Alex Otti is substantially qualified with ample
credibility to join the league of those interested
in public service and leadership in Nigeria.
Otti was a gubernatorial candidate of Abia
State on the platform of All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA).
One may ask, do Abians really need another
political engineer at this time?
On December 31st, 2015, the Court of Appeal
located in Owerri removed Okezie Ikpeazu of
the Peoples Democratic Party as governor of
Abia State and declared Alex Otti of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance winner of the April
11 and April 25 supplementary elections in the
state.
To many Abians and Nigerian progressives, this
is a welcome situation whereby the truth, as
expressed on April 11 and 25, finally put all lies
to rest.
Some, perhaps more of the sinking camp, have
cast aspersions on how Alex would grapple with
the rough-and-tumble of partisan politics being
a technocrat rather than a career politician.
One may ask, do Abians really need another
political engineer at this time?
As a first-rate technocrat with enviable financial
management endowments, Dr. Alex Otti’s much
respected technical skills, professional pedigree
are enough to help him navigate Abia State out
of the stinking political murky waters it is
presently swallowed in.
He is the catalytic factor.
Manny Ita writes from Umuahia, Abia State.