Otti: Some people tried to stop us from fixing Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road

…Clarifies Delay connected $1.3bn Abia Medical City Project

…Speaks connected Lagos Demolition of Igbo Traders’ Shops

By Steve Oko

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has revealed that immoderate highly-placed individuals attempted — but failed — to frustrate his administration’s determination to instrumentality implicit the reconstruction of the Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene national road.

Speaking during a media parley successful Umuahia connected Thursday night, Governor Otti expressed daze that people, including immoderate from Abia State, would reason a task meant to alleviate the suffering of roadworthy users.

“We volition emblem disconnected the reconstruction of 25 kilometers of the roadworthy connected Friday. We got support from the Federal Ministry of Works to bash the way for our people,” Otti said. “We cognize immoderate radical wanted to scuttle it. They didn’t privation the support to beryllium given. But convey God we were capable to get it. Some of them are besides from Abia. And the question is: you don’t privation the roadworthy that passes done your father’s location to beryllium built? And you telephone yourself a patriotic leader?”

According to him, his administration’s involution was indispensable to easiness the hardship faced by commuters connected the dilapidated national highway. He disclosed that contracts for respective different roadworthy projects, including the 13.1km Ariam Usaka Ikwuano Ring Road, had besides been awarded and would beryllium flagged disconnected soon.

“Beyond those, we person besides awarded different 9.3km road, arsenic good arsenic the 4.9km Ise Mba–Itungwa–Mgbedala Road successful Isiala Ngwa South and different 3.7km roadworthy successful Isiala Ngwa North,” helium said.

The politician further revealed plans to springiness attraction to Ubani Urban Market successful enactment with his municipality decongestion strategy for Umuahia metropolis center.

“I volition find retired wherefore enactment hasn’t started there, due to the fact that I already gave instructions. We request to hole that marketplace not conscionable for traders but to decongest Umuahia metropolitan area,” helium said.

On education, Otti ordered an probe into wherefore his directive to found a secondary schoolhouse for the unsighted astatine Ibeku High School had not been implemented. He stressed that immoderate schoolhouse gathering that failed structural integrity tests would beryllium pulled down and rebuilt.

“Truth beryllium told, implicit 90% of schools necessitate attention. We can’t instrumentality each astatine the aforesaid time, truthful we prioritized those successful the worst conditions,” helium noted.

Clarifying the hold successful the takeoff of the projected $1.3 cardinal Abia Medical City, Otti said it was caused by flaws successful the archetypal contractual agreement.

“I discovered immoderate clauses that were not acceptable to the authorities government. I interpreted and returned the statement for review. The dialog has since resumed. The funds are inactive available, but we indispensable tidy up each item earlier proceeding,” the politician explained.

On the demolition of Igbo traders’ shops successful Lagos, Otti said helium had opted for quiescent diplomacy alternatively of media confrontation.

“My cognition connected these issues is to prosecute without excessively overmuch media noise. I get much results that way,” helium said, hinting that the authorities authorities was already moving connected plans to physique caller shops successful Abia for affected traders of Abia origin.

“Some unions are organizing themselves to physique their shops present successful Abia, and precise soon, you volition spot those shops springing up,” helium assured.

The station Otti: Some radical tried to halt america from fixing Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.