We’ll make Aba best city in Nigeria  – Otti

…Says rebuilding of Enyimba Hotels starts in June

*As Igwe Achebe inaugurates roads in Aba

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia 

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, says the relentless efforts of his administration in upgrading various infrastructure and facilities in Aba was geared towards making the commercial city one of the best in Nigeria.

To this end, the Governor has announced that the rebuilding of the moribund Enyimba Hotels in Aba, would commence in June, this year.

Governor Otti dropped this hint during the inauguration of two newly reconstructed roads in Aba, performed by a foremost traditional ruler in Igboland, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, on Friday, May 24, 2024.

The roads that were inaugurated are Old Court Road and Kent/Ehi Road.

According to Governor Otti, The moribund Enyimba Hotels was conceived as a five-star hotel by the administration of late Chief Sam Mbakwe in Old Imo State in 1979. The administration commenced the construction of the hotel but did not complete it.

It was handed over to Abia State, upon the creation of God’s Own State in August  1991 during the assets sharing between Imo and Abia States.

Since then, previous administration in Abia looked away from the hotel, allowing the building to decay. But now, Governor Otti has raised hopes that Enyimba Hotel, located near Aba Waterside in the Ogbor Hill area of the commercial city, envisaged to be a relaxation spot for business moguls and tourists, would be actualised, adding that an international conference centre, as well as a park and gardens would built close to the hotel.

“The hotel is going to be a Five-Star Hotel. On the hill of the hotel will be a Convention Centre. And then, across the hotel, by the Waterside, will be a state-of-the-art Park and Gardens.

“All these are geared towards making Aba one of the best cities in the Southeast, if not Nigeria,” the Governor said.

Narrating why the Old Court Road was reconstructed, Otti said he was touched to see people wading through the pond that had formed on road to access places of their businesses.

“When I came here in February, I came to inspect Port Harcourt Road and I wanted to see what was happening at Ndoki Road and, from there, I walked through this place and the old Court road and what I saw shocked me.

“I knew the situation was bad but I didn’t know it was that bad and I saw people who were resilient, with a lot of energy, wading through the pond which should have been a road, to access their shops, to access their places of livelihood.

“I was moved and I said even though this was not in the original list of priority projects for us, this road has to be done. That is the Genesis of this road.

I gave instructions that I wanted this road fixed and I wanted it to be fixed the way our roads are fixed. I am happy that three months down the line, the road is now standing,” the Governor explained.

He thanked the contractor, supervisors, as well as the Direct Labour Agency of the Ministry of Works for collaborating to ensure timely delivery of the roads.

Governor Otti stated that his administration was creating and  reopening industrial layouts in the state, in addition to empowering the private sector to work and create employment opportunities for the people.

He therefore called on manufacturers and industrialists to come back and invest in the state.

He reassured Abians that the present adminstration would work hard to ensure that the state would regain her status in the comity of states in the country.

He emphasized that his administration was people -oriented, stressing that the most important part of governance was to work for the overall good of the people.

Inaugurating the road, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, who was the Special Guest at the occasion, described  as a hard working Governor. 

Ihwe Achebe said Governor Otti was God-sent, to transform Abia after 24 years of misrule.

According to the reverted Royal Father,  since the past one year, Abians have witnessed remarkable changes under Governor Alex Otti.

He recalled that Aba, in the past,  was known as the centre for Industry, creativity and commerce and enjoined all to support Governor Otti to restore the past glory of the commercial city.

Speaker Abia House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, commended the Governor for his efforts in revamping Aba and assured that the House would keep supporting him to enable him to fully realize his development agenda for the state.

In his remarks, the Mayor of Aba South Local Government Area, Chief Uche Nwogu, while thanking Governor Otti for his giant strides in rebuilding infrastructure across the state, appealed to him to ensure that Ohanku and Uratta roads were given due attention.

Earlier, the Commissioner for works, Engr. Otumchere Oti, had said that the 561 metres-long Old Court Road, reconstructed through direct labour by Engineers from the state Ministry of Works, was impassable before the Governor’s directive for its reconstruction three months ago.

Otti explained that the reconstrcted Old Court Road, adorned with streetlights, links Ehi Road by Ngwa Road.

The Commissioner also said that the 1.2km Kent by Ehi road was done by a reputable construction firm and was carefully done to ensure free flow of traffic, enhance socio-economic development and boost the state’s Ieternally Generated Revenue (IGR).