The Abia State Government, in partnership with MTN Nigeria, has achieved 77 percent voice and data coverage across the state following the deployment of new telecommunications sites.
The Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.
Kanu said residents had reported significant improvements in network services, particularly in communities that previously experienced poor or limited coverage.
He, however, raised concerns over the vandalization of telecommunications sites and fiber infrastructure, especially in Aba.
The commissioner urged communities to protect the telecommunications infrastructure being installed to expand and improve network services across the state.
He said MTN was working to restore the nearly 100 percent coverage previously recorded in the state before vandals damaged some of the newly deployed sites.
Abia SARC Records Eight Sexual Abuse Cases
Kanu also disclosed that the Abia Sexual Assault Referral Center (SARC) had recorded eight sexual abuse cases involving survivors aged between four and 25 years.
He said the alleged perpetrators included neighbors, landlords, family members and a laborer.
According to him, some of the cases involved repeated assaults on young children by the same alleged perpetrator.
Kanu said SARC had provided survivors with medical, psychosocial and legal support while working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators faced justice.
He said the cases reinforced the need for sustained efforts to protect vulnerable people and tackle sexual and gender-based violence across the state.
Women’s August Meeting Targets Grassroots Empowerment
The commissioner said the 2026 Abia Women’s August Meeting had established a new benchmark for grassroots development and women’s empowerment.
He said women across the state’s 17 local government areas participated in programs focused on economic empowerment, skills acquisition, social protection and support for vulnerable women.
Kanu said the initiative supported the state government’s women empowerment agenda, with particular emphasis on widows and other vulnerable women.
He added that the program encouraged entrepreneurship and helped women develop sustainable livelihoods.
Abia to Train Newly Recruited Teachers
On education, Kanu announced that the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education would hold a mandatory five-day orientation program for newly recruited teachers from Sept. 7 to Sept. 12.
The training will take place at Dr Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, and Federal Government Girls College, Umuahia.
Kanu said each participant must select a preferred training venue through the ministry’s online portal.
He explained that the program would familiarise the new teachers with their responsibilities as public and civil servants, as well as the state government’s vision and strategic direction for education.
The training will also introduce participants to interactive and learner-centered teaching methods, digital literacy and data-driven educational tools.
He added that the program would cover STEM teaching approaches and vocational alignment within STEM education.
Abia Moves to Bring Home Citizens Affected by Xenophobia
Kanu further disclosed that the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection was coordinating efforts to protect, voluntarily repatriate and reintegrate Abia indigenes affected by xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
He said the ministry was processing another batch of returnees while maintaining communication with leaders of the Abia community in South Africa.
The state government, he added, was also identifying and verifying other Abia citizens who might be stranded in the country.
Kanu assured affected citizens that the state government would continue to provide support and facilitate their safe return to Nigeria and Abia State.
