Governor Alex Otti has assented to the Startup Bill, passed by the House of Assembly, officially enacting it as the Abia State Startup Law 2025.

Information commissioner Okey Kanu disclosed this on Monday during a briefing to journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.

Mr Kanu said the law was designed to domesticate and implement the Nigerian Startup Act 2022 within Abia. He explained that it provides a framework to foster innovation, support tech-enabled startups, nurture digital talent and position Abia as a technology and innovation hub.

“The law applies to companies with major operations in Abia and startups duly recognised and labelled under the national Act,” Mr Kanu said.

The commissioner revealed plans to launch a state-owned electric bus mass transit scheme under the Abia Transport Transformation Project. He said the first batch of 20 electric buses arrived in November, while another 20 units were expected early next year.

Mr Kanu said about 100 buses would be deployed in the first phase of the project. According to him, the 40-seater buses are custom-built for Abia and can travel up to 400 kilometres on a single charge.

“They are equipped with modern safety and comfort features, including cameras, charging ports, disability access, emergency exits and fire extinguishers,” he said.

Mr Kanu said the initiative would place Abia at the forefront of clean and environmentally friendly mass transit in Nigeria. He also disclosed that the Abia 25-Year Development Plan would be unveiled on Tuesday at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.

He said the event would attract development partners, advisory council members, local government chairmen, traditional rulers and other stakeholders.

Regarding healthcare, Mr Kanu said the Abia Global Medical Mission commenced on Monday and would run until December 20. He said free advanced medical services would be offered across designated centres during the outreach.

Mr Kanu added that 850 youths would graduate from the second cohort of the Abia Techrise ICT Training Programme on Saturday. He said this would bring the total number of beneficiaries trained under the programme in 2025 to 1,399 youths.

The commissioner said the works ministry continued direct labour interventions on major roads ahead of the yuletide. He urged residents to remain vigilant during the festive season and report suspicious activities to security agencies. Mr Kanu said security agencies had been placed on full alert to safeguard lives and property across the state.

(NAN)