Celebrating the achievements of a visionary leader
By Ogbonnaya Ikokwu
A clear vision can inspire and motivate individuals, teams, and organizations to achieve great goals. There is no gainsaying that the massive infrastructural transformation currently being witnessed in Abia State is the result of the vision of Gov. Alex Otti, to restore the state from the ruins of decades of neglect and poor governance.
As a visionary leader, his transformative agenda has inspired and guided his team to drive change and achieve remarkable success in road reconstruction, environmental sanitation, and the rebuilding of schools, hospitals, and public infrastructure.
It is no wonder that residents of Umuahia, the state capital, and Aba, its commercial hub, trooped out in large numbers to welcome President Bola Tinubu, who visited the state to inaugurate several road projects executed by the Abia State Government, including the newly remodelled Dr Michael Okpara Auditorium, near the Government House, Umuahia.
Represented by the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, President Tinubu stated that under Gov. Otti’s leadership, the people of Abia have taken back their state and restored its lost glory.
He expressed appreciation to Abians for their massive turnout, saying, “It shows the love you have for our government, for your Governor, and for the infrastructural development taking place.
“Since I arrived at 10 a.m., we have been commissioning projects. First was the Michael Okpara Auditorium, a legacy project and a beauty to behold, followed by the long-abandoned Port Harcourt Road, now reconstructed by construction giant, Julius Berger; Ohanku Road; and six other roads across Aba, the famous Enyimba City.
“The way and speed your governor is working, by the end of his remaining five and a half years, the entire state will be fully recovered.
I commend your governor very highly. He is a sound economist and a very experienced personality. I have no doubt that through him, Abia has reclaimed its lost glory.
“Governor, I thank you very much, and I commend you for the great work you are doing. I also thank the leaders of Abia State, irrespective of political leanings,” President Tinubu said.
Highlighting Abia’s importance to Nigeria’s economic development, the President assured that the Federal Government is committed to supporting sub-national governments in delivering good governance.
“I am committed to helping and working with your governor to ensure that Abia people fully take back their state.
“Let me assure the people that we are committed to supporting the sub-nationals. The removal of fuel subsidy is enabling monumental projects across the country.
“We are seeing the gains of subsidy removal right here in Abia State. The same is happening in other states of Nigeria,” President Tinubu affirmed.
In a breathtaking speech, Gov. Otti expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the Federal Government’s extensive support in restoring Aba’s status as a commercial and industrial hub—especially through the reconstruction and rehabilitation of long-neglected federal highways passing through and leading into the city.
The governor said that the roads that were inaugurated across the city reflected the scale of the state’s ambition in the Aba rebuilding and restoration effort.
“Tokenism will no longer cut it. We are focused on projects that will have multiplier effects on our economy, create jobs, and open new frontiers for prosperity,” he declared.
Among the most strategic of these roads is the Port Harcourt Road. Built in the early 1980s by Dee Sam Mbakwe’s administration of the old Imo State, the road was designed to support the alternative energy needs of firms and households in the nearby oil city of Port Harcourt. It soon became a thriving hub for dealers in heavy-duty generators and machine parts.
Its construction proved to be a visionary investment, as machine tool dealers, engineering technicians, and artisans quickly made the area their base of operations.
By the mid-1990s, however, years of inadequate