Aba residents slaughter cow to celebrate reconstruction of 6 km PH Road in Aba

•As Otti performs flag off ceremony today

From Bonifac Okoro, Umuahia 

The move by Abia State government led by Dr. Alext Otti to reconstruct the 6.3 kilometre Port Harcourt Road in Aba has set residents of the commercial city  in celebration frenzy. A group is even said to have slaughtered a cow to celebrate the development.

Port Harcourt Road is one of the major entrances into the Enyimba commercial city through Alaoji junction in Ugwunagbo local government area of Abia State.

The cow slaughtering story was dropped by the Abia State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, who said the celebration by Aba residents that Governor Alex Otti was going to flag off the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road on Thursday, October 12, 2023, was an indication of the importance they attached to the road which has remained impassable for over 15 years.

The immediate past government of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, made a feeble attempt to fix the road but failed.

However, Otti, shortly after being announced as the winner of the Abia gubber tussle in the March 18, 2023 election, had carried out an inspection of the road with the Managing Director of Julius Berger, a move that suggested that the road could be on his priority list.

Tongues had already started wagging after four months without any action on the road, that the Governor may have changed his mind about doing the road.

But the surprised, sudden mobilisation of Julius Berger to the site has left many Aba residents happy and full of praises for the Governor.

Briefing Journalists on outcome of the State Executive Council meeting for the week at Government House, Umuahia, Wednesday morning, the Commissioner for Information said the Governor would be performing the flag off ceremony of reconstructing the Port Harcourt Road to reopen it for use once more.

The EXCO meeting was held on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

“His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, the Governor, will flag off the construction of the 6.3-kilmetre Port Harcourt Road in Aba, Thursday, October 12, 2023,” Kanu said.

“It is a very important road in Aba that has not been in use for about 15 years. If you recall, immediately afte his election, even before he was sworn in as  the Governor, he took a tour of that road with the Managing Directorof Julius Berger and manangement. 

“You recall too that When that happened, the opposition cried themselves hoarse and were wondering how somebody who has not been sworn into office was carrying out road inspection. “So, what that tells us is that Dr Otti came to power prepared and has remained focused; he knew what he came to do. 

“That is the reason that in under four months of taking over as the Governor of the state, what previuos administrations could not do in years, he is doing in four months,” the Commissioner said, adding that the people were very happy about the development.

“The stories we get from Aba is that the whole town has errupted into some joyous mood simply because they just saw Julius Berger mobilising to site. 

“In fact, one story has it that one group slaughtered a cow yesterday to celebrate it. So, that tells you how important it is to the people of Aba that that road is being reconstructed,” Kanu added.

He listed Umuimo, Udeagbala, MCC and Old Express roads as some of the reconstructed roads in Aba that were ready for commissioning.

Flood lights, he explained, have been installed on these roads.

According to the Commissioner, the Operation Zero-pothole in Umuahia was progressing, as majority of the potholes in the state capital “have disappeared.”

Still on road infrastructure, he announced that asphalt has been laid on the Umuahia-Uzuakoli road, while Alayi-Item road “is also up for rehabilitation.”  

On the Ossah-Okpara Square six-lane road expansion project, the Commissioner said that demolition of affected structures has reached 80 percent. 

“So, you can see that Umuahia and Aba have bee turned into a construction site by this government, all in an effort to give back to Abians what they deserve and that is good, motorable roads,” Kanu said.