Cross section of the Abia Youth Road Maintenance Corps engineers
Ikpeazu inaugurates 42 young engineers as members of Abia road maintenance corps
[From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia]
Abia Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has inaugurated 42 young engineers as members of the novel Abia Youth Road Maintenance Corps to drive his vision of instituting enduring maintenance culture in the state.
The youth were drawn from six local government areas of Aba North, Aba South, Osisioma Ngwa, Obingwa Umuahia North and Umuahia South, being the first phase of the inauguration of the corps.
According to government’s plan, the first phase would focus on urban areas, while the next phase would cover areas like Ukwa, Ohafia, Ikwuano and Isuikwuato.
Ikpeazu, while inaugurating the corps at the Governor’s Lodge, Aba, Wednesday, said those selected have been given both theoretical and practical training and have been certified fit to carry out their charge of maintaining road infrastructure in the state.
Accordingly, they were provide with construction equipment, including asphalt cutters, rollers, mini-pick up vans fitted with generating sets and Halogen lights for night work and other basic road maintenance equipment and charged to hit the ground running.
The Governor, therefore, urged the Corps members to immediately commence their assignments by taking stock of all the potholes within their areas of jurisdiction for proper documentation and thereafter report to the respective Local Government Chairmen.
Ikpeazu directed them to rid Abia roads of potholes, especially those roads already completed and commissioned by his administration, and institute a sustainable maintenance culture.
He noted that maintenance culture has become a knotty issue as billions of naira spent on infrastructure were often wasted due to neglect of such infrastructure soon after construction.
He advised the young engineers to focus on areas that impact negatively on the people, and as well do their jobs during off-peak hours including nights and Sundays, promising that funds would be released periodically to enable them to carry out their assignments effectively.
The Governor directed the concerned Local Government Chairmen to make available the old Public Works Department (PWD) offices located in their Councils for the corps to use.
Ikpeazu said the initiative was to bring the youths face to face with current challenges, adding that it provides an opportunity for them to help contribute to building a better Abia as future leaders and also for them to prove that they were prepared to lead.Earlier, the Commissioner for Works, Elder Bob Chiedozie Ogu, said seven Corps members were selected from each of the six local government areas, whose Chairmen witnessed the event, as well as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Engr. Sunday Okpara and his predecessor, Elder Jacob Nwala.
