Welcome to God’s own State Mr President, welcome to the New Abia
– By Eagle Okoro
Gov. Chioma Alex Otti was certainly in one of his best of moods on Thursday night, when he confirmed to Abians that the President, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will be in the state on a working visit on Friday, October 3.
Gov. Otti broke the cheering news with relish during the September edition of his media interaction and, obviously, his excitement of having the rare privilege to play host to the President of the most populous black nation in the world, was demonstrably palpable.
The Jagaban, as Mr President is fondly called, will be in God’s Own State to perform the official inauguration of eight strategic internal roads in Aba, including one of the governor’s signature projects – the Port Harcourt Road, Aba – which eloquently speak to the governor’s unrivalled commitment toward rebuilding the state from the massive decay in infrastructure caused by many years of neglect by the previous administrations.
The governor, reputed for his passion for excellence, hired the world acclaimed road construction giant, Julius Berger Plc, for the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road to underscore the great importance he attaches to the road.
The other roads, also slated for inauguration by the president, include Ohanku Road, Umuatako Street, Ajiwe Street, Gabriel Nwosu Street, Abayi, Chief Nkoro and Spurs, Abayi, Ndoki Road and People’s Road. All the eight roads were executed to conform to the best standard specifications by equally reputable construction companies – well paved, with drains and pedestrian walkways on either sides.
The choice of Mr President for the inauguration of these critical roads in the commercial city is not only significant but symbolic, given the circumstances surrounding the “death and resurrection” of these strategic and economically viable roads in Aba.
It is imperative to recall that the roads, which play essential economic role in promoting the growth of commerce and industry, through an efficient and seamless movement of persons and goods in and out of the city, suffered huge dilapidation and neglect, leading to their complete closure to vehicular traffic for practically two decades. They all became impassable after they were literally turned into refuse dumps and later overgrown with thick bushes.
For instance, the 6.5km Port Harcourt Road, which connects the Enyimba City to Asannetu Motor Spare Parts Market, one of the biggest, East of the Niger, and Port Harcourt city, turned bushy with mountains of domestic and industrial waste, beginning from Uratta Junction to the market, where the road emptied into the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. Children born in the area from about 2005 to 2024 were merely told the story that “once upon a time”, Port Harcourt Road existed as a dual carriageway. That was the pitiable fate of a once bubbling area, popular for the repairs and reconstruction of industrial machines and diesel-powered engines.
Suffice it to recall here that all the eight roads and many others across the length and breadth of the state were abandoned to deteriorate by political buccaneers, who became governors by default and misruled Abia for cumulative 24-long years.
The Port Harcourt Road actually failed at different spots during the administration of Orji Uzor Kalu, the Senator representing Abia North, who was paradoxically hailed and dubbed the “Action Governor” by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Kalu feigned an attempt to fix it but no sooner did he initiate rehabilitation work than he abandoned it and never went back to the project until he vacated office in 2007.
His successor and political godson, Theodore Ahamefula Orji, who represented Abia Central in the ninth Senate, committed even a more grievous sin against God and humanity by failing woefully to look into the daunting challenges, including deplorable road condition, heaps of decomposed refuse that dotted every nook and cranny of the town all year round and insecurity, that faced and threatened businesses in Aba, the goose that lays the golden egg, for his eight years as governor.
During his administration, Orji displayed deep-seated hatred for the commercial city and made its residents his sworn enemies. Hence he never cared a hoot about the complete dilapidation of virtually all the roads in and around the Enyimba City.
And, without the fear of contradiction, the continued deterioration of the internal roads as well as those leading into and out of the city, coupled with the rampaging activities of Osisikankwu, a notorious kidnapping kingpin, at the time, inadvertently led to the closure of many businesses and industrial concerns. And while some could not survive the highly debilitating, harsh socioeconomic conditions, many others relocated to other cities.
The unfortunate closure of Port Harcourt Road to traffic certainly spelt doom for all the businesses on that corridor. Residential and business premises, hotels and schools as well as the industrial hub, located on the road, were all deserted, leaving the entire axis completely desolate like an evil forest.
But the worst was to happen under the eight-year tenure of the “true son of Ngwa”, “son of the soil”, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, whose campaign slogan during the 2015 Governorship election, “nw’Aba ga emezi Aba”, gained traction amongst the undiscernible minds in the city. Not only did Ikpeazu deceive the people, but also demonstrated the lack of integrity and accountability, when he allegedly obtained a World Bank facility to fix the Port Harcourt Road, but scandalously failed to leave an enduring legacy with it. He spent eight years, and like the two others before him, left power without engaging any construction firm for the project.
Ironically, the reconstruction of the road commenced even before Otti was inaugurated as governor. To demonstrate his burning desire, or call it desperation, to rebuilding Aba and getting the city to work again, he led a team of engineers from Julius Berger on an inspection tour of the road few weeks after he emerged as governor, an action that set Aba agog, as many trooped to the street to confirm the presence of the construction experts for the massive, capital intensive project.
Today, “Aba amalamma”, as a young artist, recently sang in his new hit. Aba has suddenly become clean, healthy, habitable, and crime-free, with zero potholes. Consequently, businesses and the lost glory of the town are gradually but steadily returning.
Of course, Mr President’s visit to Aba would afford him the opportunity to have a feel of Abia’s legendary hospitality as the people have geared up to give him a resoundingly warm and befitting reception. They are already upbeat to see their president on Abia soil, life and blood, and would be trooping out in their teeming size to rally round their dear governor to receive the number one citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Aba business community, traders, market men and women would unusually close shop on Friday, traditional rulers and religious leaders as well as various professional bodies and leaderships of different ethnic groups that live and do business in the city, would all step out colourfully to celebrate and make the President’s visit the most memorable of all his recent official outings in and outside Nigeria.
Mr President would, no doubt, be overwhelmed by the tumultuous crowd that would usher him into the city, in solidarity with Gov. Otti, whose strategic governance approach and pragmatic development-driven agenda have, in such a meteoric manner, changed the old narrative about Aba as one of the dirtiest cities in the country.
And make no mistake Mr President, this is no rented crowd! Neither is the exceptionally clean Aba environment a smokescreen to impress you. No! The environmental cleanliness of Aba and Umuahia was made possible and has become an irreversible standard after Gov. Otti personally led a cleanup exercise in the city in June 2023, shortly after assuming office. Since then to date, the two major cities can easily rank among the cleanest in the country.
To make Mr President’s reception thick and unique, Abia’s award-winning cultural dance troupe, and the Ohafia War Dance, among other renowned cultural dance groups in the state, are currently perfecting their dress rehearsals for a sensational, superlative performance to honour your visit, Mr President.
Above all, the one-day visit will also present His Excellency with the opportunity to behold, first hand, the indomitable transformative effort of his host, friend and trusted partner of many years toward rebuilding the state from the 24-year-old decadence and ruins in the hands of transactional politicians in the decapitated Peoples Democratic Party.
The commitment of Gov. Otti to transform the state and restore the lost glory of Aba, a leading industrial cum commercial hub East of the Niger, in particular, is encapsulated in his transformative blueprint, which has positively manifested in many other sectors, including infrastructure, education, health, security, environment, commerce and industry, amongst others.
The prioritisation of the foregoing sectors by Gov. Otti’s administration has suddenly turned the state into the preferred destination for genuine foreign and Nigerian investors, who have sustained their visits to Abia for partnership and business discussions with the government – a development that started the moment Otti was pronounced the winner of the 2023 Governorship poll.
It is indeed the wish of the benevolent and hospitable Abia people that Mr President’s itinerary during his brief visit should accommodate snappy visits to specific ongoing landmark projects, particularly the modern, iconic Omenuko Bridge in Abam. The facility, which is ready for inauguration, was built by Gov. Otti to replace the ramshackle deathtrap – the old bridge – that his three civilian predecessors comfortably and callously overlooked at the greatest risk to the lives of motorists, who were compelled to ply the bridge for more than 70 long years it lasted, due to the absence of a better and safer alternative.
It is imperative to state here that beyond the eight roads, which Mr President would be inaugurating during the visit, there are other legacy road infrastructures that were executed by Gov. Otti’s administration and already in use. These include but not limited to the Aguiyi Ironsi Boulliverd, Umuahia, formerly called Ossah Road, Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Akara-Ohafia-Arochukwu Road, and many other community roads.
Also, in alignment with his campaign promise to ensure that all the major roads connecting Abia with other neighbouring states, work on the Umuahia-Owerri Road has gone more than 50 per cent completion, while the governor has commissioned the reconstruction of the dilapidated Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road.
It is well known to Mr President and his Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, the relentless effort put in by Gov. Otti, shortly after his assumption of office, toward ensuring the resumption of intensive work on the Aba end of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, which culminated in the early completion of one lane, with the other lane fast nearing completion.
Of course, the ever-appreciative Abians are grateful to Mr President for his speedy approvals for the Abia Government’s intervention in the reconstruction of the aforementioned federal roads within its borders.
The people are also greatly indebted to Mr President for graciously approving the construction of an Airport for Abia, a project that would soon materialise, considering the pace of work by the contractors. This is in addition to the Presidential approval for the establishment of three tertiary institutions in the state, a development that will ultimately reduce the difficulties encountered by Abia candidates seeking admission into higher institutions of learning.
It is the expectation of the good people of the state that Jagaban’s visit would be made more historic and memorable with the anticipated major policy pronouncements from Nigeria’s seat of power.
And, like Oliver Twist, Abia State needs more federal presence and Mr President will certainly not miss the golden opportunity presented by his August visit to further endear himself to Abia and Abians and by extension the entire South-East region.
Mr President, the good people of God’s Own State heartily welcome you and your entourage to the New Abia that works. Ndewo! Ibiala!! Nnoo!!!
– Eagle Okoro is a Public Affairs Commentator and writes from Umuahia.