From: OKEY SAMPSON, Aba
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, of Abia State, has said that his administration would do everything possible to ensure that the state would be put on sound footing to allow businesses to strive and make lives meaningful to the people.
Ikpeazu, who stated this in Aba while inspecting 12 roads under construction in Aba and Umuahia, said his government was taking advantage of the dry season window to step up roads reconstruction in the state.
“It is now imperative that we monitor the contractors working on these roads to make sure that they achieve the milestone we desire so we can put enough to stock for the dry season.
“Construction in this part of Nigeria request that you must be careful about how you plan your site so that you don’t lose the mileage you have achieved when the rains come because the rains will come certainly. This is the time for us to tie up our ends. We’ve just done about one quarter of what we have at hand to do. There are projects in Umuahia, others in Abia North; we want our contractors at their best to do what they are supposed to do”.
The governor specifically commended the contractor handling Brass/Faulks Roads which lead to Ariaria Internal Market, Setraco for doing a wonderful job, stressing that when the two roads were completed, the market would be opened to the entire world.
“I’m impressed, Setraco is doing well, they are work according to specifications. Our vision to do world class road to lead into Ariaria to Aba-Port Harcourt expressway is beginning to yield fruit. Brass is looking like what it is supposed to be, the major access to Ariaria. I think I’m excited and I just hope and pray that they will continue in that trajectory”.
At the Ndiegoro axis of Aba popularly known as Amamong where the government is reconstructing five roads which include, Ibadan, Ibere, Onyebuchi and Agharandu Ikpeazu said, “One day, I decided to pay unscheduled visit to the area and what I saw brought tears to my eyes and we decided to do five roads. We are going into another four roads and these roads will be done with cement pavement technology and street light. And you can see that there are lots of industrial activities going in that area. For us, we want to start by apologizing to the people that previous administrations were not able to do it”.
On the vexed issue of Port Harcourt road which is a federal government road, Ikpeazu what had delayed it’s reconstruction was a loan facility the state government had been expecting from the African Development Bank, adding that since the loan facility had been delayed, government would not continue to allow people living and doing business in the area whom he said are mainly machine tools fabricators to continue to suffer.
He was of the view that if the road was put to proper shape, the manufacture machine tools fabricators doing business in the area would support the state government’s battle for the growth of SMEs in Abia.
The governor who also visited the Ifeobara basin where the state government is constructing an artificial pond for storm water collection said when completed, the basin would collect flood water from Uratta and Omuma Roads and environs and pump them straight to the Aba River.
Ikpeazu said the state government would reintroduce Health Sanitation officers who would be going from house to house to ensure the cleanliness of all parts of the state.
On the demolitions carried out by government around the Ife Obara basin, the governor said those affected would be entitled to compensation if they have title documents.
Ikpeazu also inspected the reconstruction of the Aba Road, Umuahia under taking by his administration.