Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has urged the country's leaders to implement programmes and policies that will create possibilities comparable to those that attract Nigerians to foreign lands.

He claimed that this was the only way to keep Nigerians from fleeing to other countries in search of jobs.

Otti, who spoke at his country home in Umuihim, Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South LGA, while receiving executives from the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), said that the 'JAPA syndrome' had become a reality that could not even be legislated against because it was a case of supply and demand.

“Once your economy and your system don’t look conducive or don’t look attractive or if other economies are looking better than yours, they will go there, no matter what you do.

“So, the only response you have is to create an enabling environment, create jobs for them and encourage them to stay back,” he said.

Otti also approved land for the Bankers Training Institute in Abia State, as requested by the institute's members.

Earlier, in an address to the Governor, CIBN's Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kelechi Adiele, stated that they came to identify with one of their own and discussed various ways to strengthen the connection between the CIBN, the Bankers Committee, and the state.

He acknowledged the Governor's achievements thus far in office and complimented him for providing an enabling economic and security climate for the state's banking industry, allowing Abia banks to restart operations without worry on Monday.

“For instance, prior to your taking over as the Governor of Abia State, banks in Abia State were not working on Mondays.

“This had affected negatively both the turnover of these banks and even the personal security of bankers who more or less had to sneak into the office on Mondays, but today, we move freely even on Mondays,” Mr. Adiele stated.