Abia rebuilds infrastructure

Dualised Bende Road

 

Abia State Governor Theodore Orji has said the state overcame its security challenges to start rebuilding it.

  Kidnapping, robbery and murder once tarnished the image of the state and also scared off investors and undermined even regular business activities. 

  As a result, the state and local governments could not provide  basic social services in health, education, water supply and sanitation. To worsen the situation, most of its basic infrastructure was flattened. Lack of adequate sanitation, potable water and electricity in addition to substandard housing and overcrowding aggravated the challenge. 

   Today, the governor told journalists, Aba is secure and business and investment confidence returning. 

Across Umuahia, the reduction in crimianl activities is remarkable. There were crackdowns on local gangs in addition to other security measures. 

In recognition of this, the National Council for Unity and Peace (NCUP) has conferred on the governor the award of the National Ambassador for Peace. 

Governor Orji said the state’s allocation from the Federal Government is a mere N3.1b while it pays N2.6b a month in salaries. He also said his administration has greatly improved the state’s internally generated revenue profile, making N500m monthly as against N150m or N200m in the past.

Now, there are developmental projects across the state spanning  health and education, revival of domestic markets, support for agriculture, and job creation, especially for young people. He said the state was ready to provide at least the minimum conditions for human sustenance. He said the government has already begun the process of rebuilding itself through construction of basic facilities. 

Orji said the state is undergoing its largest urban redevelopment boom. These include a Government House, judicial headquarters, and administrative complex for the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State and the secretariat. The governor said the development was necessary to bring people,  jobs and life back to the state. Abia is a clear picture of how much the basics matter: cost of living, job quality, schools, and opportunities to develop the right skills for the best jobs. 

Orji said the government is also rebuilding the suburbs through construction and restoration projects.  The state capital, Umuahia, is rebuilding itself, with one construction project at a time.  

Having restored security, the government has now delved into rehabilitating the decayed infrastructures as well as providing new ones to make the state work again.    The state has been working on rebuilding leaky and antiquated sewer lines. Workers have to redirect channels draining to to the city’s canal system. The government wants to prevent progressive deterioration of the drainage system and find a way to control future growth. 

The government’s biggest challenge remains flood control and financing of projects which will require millions of naira to rebuild underground arteries. 

On access to safe drinking water, the governor said his administration is working to bring relief to the people. 

Various projects are going on in Aba to restore the glory of the commercial city. Among the prominent ones is the reconstruction of the Ukwu Mango Road, which links the popular Ariaria International Market with the rest of the city. The road was abandoned for years. There is also the construction of a pedestrian bridge in front of the Abia State Polytechnic to ensure the safety of students and the de-silting of the School Road/East drainage system.    

The government is building a central motor park at Osisioma, along the Port Harcourt-Enugu Express Road. Journalists visited the central motor park whose construction is nearing completion. The project will decongest the city which has numerous chaotic motor parks scattered all over the town with its attendant nuisance. 

Aside the many road contracts awarded and those where actual construction work is going on in Aba, including the completed popular and busy Faulks Road, other equally important ongoing projects include the construction of a massive auditorium at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, (ABSUTH), Aba. 

Also, the dignity of Ariaria International Market is being restored  as the government has embarked on the rehabilitation of the dilapidated internal roads in the popular market. He  said the state is building an International Conference Centre with the capacity to seat over 3500 participants,while the old and existing workers’ secretariat is having a touch of modernity so as to synchronise with the emerging new look at Ogwurube Layout where the amazing Central Bank of Nigeria and the re-built Customary Court of Appeal are situated.

A short distance from the Customary Court of Appeal,the government has laid  the foundation stone for a new Government House in Umuahia. 

Transport Commissioner, Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai warned operators of illegal motor parks in the state to move into approved areas.  

The commissioner specifically warned touts in the state to quit all state and federal roads “unless they choose to relocate to prisons”.

Taking journalists to Aba ’s drainage projects,  the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue  said  the   drainage system has long been a source of concern to the extent that the Ukwu Mango stretch was covered with garbage and stalls and houses built on it. He said  the government is de-flooding and constructing the drainage to connect A line at the Ariaria International Market, and open up Faulks Road. 

 The Commissioner for Information, Dr Eze Chikamnayo said the governor inherited a much polarised and run-down state and promptly went to work. Chikamnayo added that immediately, the security problem was tackled, Governor Orji moved to the next level with the provision of infrastructure. He said Orji is leaving a legacy of over 100 outstanding edifices, structures, covering every arm of government and all sectors.