A NEW GATEWAY

Being the Text of a Speech Presented by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at the Flag-off of the Reconstruction, Expansion and Dualisation of the Onuimo to Abia Tower of Peace on Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Protocol

1. One commitment we made at the inception of this Administration is that we shall rebuild, remodel and improve the aesthetics of all entrance points to Abia from our neighbouring states. Our goal is to change the old, unpleasant narrative which gave the State a certain notoriety as a destination that announces itself through bad roads, heaps of garbage, foul air and other tell-tale evidence of governance failure. Many frequent visitors to the State often made jest of the entry points to Abia as places that would jolt you awake, or force you into mental distress and anxiety as soon as you arrive from any other territory. It does not matter whether you are a passenger, or the one holding the steering wheel; the experience was always the same.
2. We made a vow that under our watch, the story would be different. Visitors or travellers passing through Abia, we announced at the time, would no longer be welcomed by stench from abandoned refuse heaps, or be forced into panic by long stretches of bad roads. We announced that in our time, whoever is coming to Abia will have an inviting experience. We promised that expansive and well maintained road networks, good air quality and a clean and tidy environment shall be the hallmarks of all entry points to Abia. We are resolutely determined to right the wrongs of the past and justify the confidence of the Abia public who believed in the reality of our promises and partnered actively with us to institute a new governance philosophy, one that places the people, and the social status of the State, at the core of its undertakings.
3. On this note distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me formally welcome you to the flag-off of the reconstruction, expansion, dualisation and the beautification of the about 6 kilometre road leading to Abia Tower of Peace from our boundary community with Imo State, Onuimo. I want to thank the Federal Minister of Works, His Excellency, Engr. Dave Umahi, and his team for cooperating with our State Commissioner for Works and our team to work out the technical details of this Project.
4. As you may know, this is a Federal Road, but in the New Abia, our major concern is to keep every road within the boundaries of the State in good condition, whether such roads are designated as Federal, State or Local Government Roads. Our philosophy is that every road in the State is for the people and no matter the size or location, we consider them critical economic enablers, supporting our domestic economy as well as improving the social conditions of the ordinary Nigerians, whether they are from Abia, or from any other State in the country. At any rate, I thank the Federal authorities for giving us all the necessary approvals to fix this Road and for their broadness of spirit during the interactions. My assurance is that we shall work closely with the Contractor, Craneburg Limited, who by the way, has successfully delivered several projects in the state, to keep to the specifications and ultimately deliver a road project that will meet the projected standards.
5. This Project has been set up to be a landmark undertaking by our Administration because we are not just going to reconstruct the road as it is presently, we shall expand it to a four lane dual carriage way in order to accommodate the heavy vehicular traffic along this stretch. Beyond drastically reducing the number of accidents and the attendant losses in human lives and property, this Project will create a boom in the palm oil value chain and other economic advantages associated with this part of the State. In all, we are looking beyond giving visitors coming into the State from this area of Imo a more pleasant welcome experience, we are also taking very bold measures to guarantee the safety of road users, improve the fortunes of property owners along this stretch, and ultimately, support the activities of entrepreneurs and traders doing their businesses in the major markets and other income generating entities sited here.
6. We are looking to achieve more than one important outcome by taking over the construction of this Road, with the gracious approval of the Federal Government. Our determination to expand the urban boundaries of Umuahia the State Capital would gain a new momentum on the completion of the Project. The target is to create new frontiers for real estate investors to step in and provide modern structures that fit the business and residential appetites of our upwardly mobile population. It is expected that a new community of economically active and prosperous individuals would emerge from this corridor, taking advantage of the fine mix of supportive social infrastructure, as well as the sub-urban serenity of this area.

7. I am glad to report that security agencies have effectively responded to the dastardly attempts by criminal elements to set up an operational base around this axis. We shall continue to give our gallant officers all necessary support to make every part of the State a safe place for citizens and all who operate within the boundaries of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Abia, as I had repeatedly said, shall be welcoming to everyone, so long as you have something worthwhile to contribute to our social and economic development.
8. At the same time, it is important that I warn criminal elements and their sponsors, whatever be their motivation, that this place shall be very hot and miserable for them. We shall set every machinery of Government against them and the long arm of the law shall come after them no matter where they run to and however anonymous they imagine themselves to be. We shall be relentless, we shall be very brutal and merciless in dealing with those who may want to create panic or cause loss of lives and property in any part of Abia. There is only one legitimate Government in the State and that is the one I lead, having received the overwhelming mandate of the Abia electorates. Any attempt to challenge the authority of the Government using the tools of criminality and incitement shall not only be resisted, it shall be crushed.
9. Let me as I conclude thank the property owners for their cooperation and peaceful disposition during the several rounds of interaction with our team. We are a law-abiding and compassionate Government, albeit a very firm one. This Administration is guided by the principles of good conscience and sound judgement in all our undertakings and as such, when in public interest, we have to demolish properties to enable the smooth execution of projects; reasonable compensations are paid to genuine property owners as a necessary condition before touching those properties. I am aware that all relevant documentation have been concluded by the relevant agencies and I have given approval to the finance office to process payment. My assurance is that in the next few days, all landlords whose property have been marked for demolition shall receive their compensation in full.
10. May I also announce that I have extracted the commitment of the Contractor that this project shall be completed on schedule. There may be a few inconveniences to road users, residents and businesses around here over the course of the civil engineering activities but as I told the Contractor and his team, there must be well-structured mitigation protocols through traffic control and periodic watering of the construction corridor to keep the volume of dust and other environmental disturbances minimal.
11. This Project is expected to positively impact the economy of the local communities through the provision of technical and non-technical jobs to qualified persons living around this area, procurement of construction materials that can be found within the local environment, and all the other economic interactions that will be happening over the entire spectrum of the Project. We are invited to provide the right level of support to the Contractor and his team to enable them deliver on schedule as they had promised.
12. On a final note, let me encourage us to take our civic obligations more seriously, especially payment of taxes and other statutory fees. Our Administration is committed to creating social prosperity for all through generous investments in infrastructural development projects. It now behoves on us as citizens to remit Government’s share of the prosperity it has created through diligent payment of our taxes and other fees so as to generate the resources to further spread the fruits of development to other parts of the State. As an accountable Administration, our singular commitment is to effectively deploy your funds to investment channels that yield the greatest social returns for the majority as we have done in the last 18 months.
13. Thank you for listening and see you at the commissioning ceremony in about 12 months. May God bless you all.

Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR,