Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has vowed to end the age-long adage of “no easy route to Aro”, when he flagged off the reconstruction of the 41.4 kilometer Ohafia-Arochukwu federal road.
Vanguard reports that the ancient regional road first constructed in the 60s by the administration of the late Premier of the defunct Eastern Nigeria, Dr Michael Okpara, was later abandoned by successive administrations until it deteriorated to its current virtually impassable state.
Otti, while flagging off the project amidst ovation by locals of over 60 communities around the area on Wednesday, said his administration was poised to make every part of Abia accessible.
He noted that although the road was a federal road, he thought it wise to intervene to lessen the plights of the road users who have suffered a great deal since it deteriorated.
According to the governor, the hope of renovating the road in the 90s was dashed after the death of the late Military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.
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He said, “There was great jubilation and hope of a turnaround in the mid-1990s when the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund, an intervention agency set up by the General Sani Abacha military junta, awarded a contract for the reconstruction of the 71.8 kilometre Umuahia-Arochukwu Road.
“The project started smoothly from the Umuahia section but stopped abruptly following the demise of the then military Head of State and the eventual scrapping of the PTF.
“The expectation of our people was cut short and the misery lingered, almost interminably.
“Being a federal road, previous administrations in the State considered that it was better to let the Federal Government fix it.
“With many considered haphazard attempts made by Abuja to undertake the reconstruction around 2012, funds were reportedly approved but for some mysterious reasons, nothing significant happened and the people continued to live with the daily despair of passing through what several respected newspaper columnists described as the “worst federal road in Nigeria.
“What we have come to do today is to take our destiny in our hands, convinced that the Federal Government, whose approval we have fully obtained to execute this project, will eventually do what is right and fair in the long-term economic interest of the good people of Abia State.
“We have sincerely taken this bold initiative in order to save the Federal Government the embarrassment this road has brought it before international visitors and tourists.
“Our intent is to give Nigerians who are resident in this part of the country or travelling through this road for business and social engagements, a sense of belonging because no nation should watch its citizens pass through the nightmare our people have endured for years.”
While promising to complete projects awarded by his administration, Otti charged the contractor to deliver on record time.
Meanwhile, it was a sea of heads as an enthusiastic crowd of jubilant supporters and locals of the communities along the corridors thronged out to witness the historic event.
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