The Abia State All Progressives Congress APC, has reacted to a misleading claim by the Governor Alex Otti administration about the Umuahia–Ikwuano–Ikot Ekpene Road reconstruction.
The Facts of The Matter
The reconstruction of the Umuahia–Ikwuano–Ikot Ekpene Road was facilitated through the efforts of former federal lawmaker Rt Hon. Sam Onuigbo, who represented the Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency in the 8th and 9th National Assembly. Following his legislative motion and persistent engagement with the Federal Ministry of Works, the Federal Government first awarded a contract to Foretex Nigeria Ltd for palliative work from December 2016 to April, 2017.
Further engagements with the then Mininster of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN resulted in the proper award in 2019 to Hartland Civil Engineering Construction Company Ltd at N13.2 billion for the total reconstruction of the road.
The project has remained a Federal Government initiative, and the contractor has been actively on site executing the work. At present, Hartland Civil Engineering Construction is working to complete the final segment of the Phase One of the project, located between Isiala Oboro and Ogbuebulle communities in Ikwuano Local Government Area.
The Abia State Government’s involvement arose only in respect of a 25-kilometre Phase Two corridor, particularly along the Ikwuano axis through the Orpet Filling Station area, where the road expansion affected residential structures. Due to the need for demolition, accurate documentation, and payment of compensation to affected property owners, local intervention became necessary.
Consequently, the state government engaged Geld Construction Company to handle that specific 25-kilometre stretch, under an arrangement approved by the Federal Ministry of Works within the framework of the Federal Government’s “Build and We Will Reimburse” policy. This initiative allows subnational governments to partner with the Federal Government in accelerating infrastructure development across the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu graciously approved the application for the partial handover of this section to the Abia State Government under THE BUILD AND WE WILL REIMBURSE” policy, further demonstrating his commitment to addressing long-standing infrastructural challenges in the South-East and across Nigeria.
It is therefore important to emphasize that the Federal Government contractor had already been working on the road before the recent collaboration that enabled the state government to intervene on a section of the project of which the state will receive in full all their claims once certified by the federal ministry of works.
Abians will recall that this road had been virtually impassable for years until Rt Hon. Sam Onuigbo an APC federal lawmaker moved a motion on the floor of the House of Representatives in 2016 and subsequently engaged the then Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, to secure Federal Government attention for the project.
APC’s Position
While we commend the cooperation between the Federal Government and state Governments in rehabilitating federal infrastructure within the states, it is only fair and just that accurate information is presented to the public as it is being done in other states.
Indeed, the collaboration between the APC-led Federal Government and the Abia State Government in rehabilitating about five villages of the corridor, namely, Ekebedi, Awomukwu, Ariam Alala and Ariam Eluelu near the Akwa Ibom border is a welcome development.
However, the APC in Abia state insists that the Otti administration must ensure that Abians are properly informed and that due credit is accorded to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC-led Federal Government, whose goodwill, commitment and leadership made the project possible.
The APC remains proud of President Tinubu’s record of delivering critical infrastructure and improving connectivity for the people of Abia State and the entire South-East region.
