President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured the South East region of Nigeria of his administration’s commitment to inclusive development, pledging continued Federal support for massive infrastructural projects.
President Tinubu gave the assurance while speaking at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba, Abia State, after commissioning landmark projects executed by Governor Alex Otti, including the newly completed 6.7 kilometre Port Harcourt Road, Ohanku Road, Ndoki Road, Ajiwe Road, Umuatako Road, Gabriel Nwosu Road, Nkoro Road and Opobo Road.
The President, represented by the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, lauded Governor Otti for his infrastructure drive across the State, adding that through him, Abia has recovered her lost glory.
He highlighted the Federal Government’s ongoing projects across the South East, noting that the region has, for the first time in Nigeria’s history, been reintegrated at the centre of the nation’s activities.
“Never again shall we be forgotten.
When I was a Governor, I didn’t witness any Federal projects in Ebonyi State, but today, everywhere you turn, you will see President Bola Tinubu’s developmental projects.
We will appreciate him and continue to seek more so that we can cover all the lost grounds, all the neglect, all the time we were discriminated against,” Umahi declared.
He listed the dualisation of the 56-kilometre Umuahia–Aba Road which cost N66 billion, the completion of 40 kilometres of the Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road, the ongoing Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, and the reconstruction of the Port Harcourt–Aba Road, among others.
He further disclosed that the Enugu–Onitsha Road project, which cost over N200 billion, was being executed under the tax credit scheme with MTN, while the Abakaliki–Enugu dual carriageway and the construction of flyovers in Enugu were nearing completion.
Umahi, who addressed calls from South East leaders on the detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, reassured of the Federal Government’s commitment to a peaceful political solution.
“I want to assure, and I know that the Governors of the South East are working very seriously to explore the political solution together with our senators, House of Reps and all the ministers of the South East. And even those who are not from the South East are committed to this. I ask our people to be very calm and very law-abiding,” he urged.
The Minister, who acknowledged the economic challenges facing Nigerians, said the President’s reforms were beginning to yield positive results, especially with falling inflation and GDP growth at 4.2 percent.
He called on the people of the South East to remain united and supportive of both the Federal Government and their State Governments, stressing that the welfare of the people is paramount to President Tinubu’s administration.
Earlier in his speech, Governor Otti described the event as a historic moment that signals a new dawn for Aba after decades of neglect by past administrations.
Governor Otti noted that Aba, the commercial hub of the South East, is “back and ready to roar again” following massive infrastructure renewal projects and renewed Federal Government support.
The Governor, who titled his speech “Rebuilding Destiny”, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for its support, particularly in the rehabilitation of long-abandoned Federal highways, adding that the Tinubu administration’s policies, although tough, have begun to yield economic benefits for the states.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to sustainable infrastructure, job creation and economic expansion, adding that the newly completed 6.7 kilometre Port Harcourt Road, which is a fulfillment of his campaign promise, and other road projects are expected to double the volume of trade and commerce in Aba within the next 12 months.
The Governor called for stronger federal support for a functional rail network with stops in key commercial towns, as well as the optimisation of seaports and development of the South East’s vast natural gas deposits.
On security, the Governor credited the Federal Government for its support, which he said had contributed to Aba’s relative peace and disclosed that discussions were ongoing regarding the release of detained IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“I can assure you that I am engaging with Mr. President and he is favourably disposed to it. And I’m sure that in no distant future, Nnamdi Kanu will regain his freedom,” the Governor said.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Benjamin Kalu, emphasised that governance is about stewardship, commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as the President’s magnanimity in distributing the nation’s resources, particularly the proceeds from the petroleum subsidy.
Chief Kalu called for the establishment of a seaport in the South East, while also appealing to President Tinubu to intervene in the frequent demolition of Igbo properties and sources of livelihood by the Lagos State Government and others.
In their separate remarks, the Senator representing Abia South, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, and the National Secretary of the Labour Party, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, commended Governor Otti and noted that Abia State had risen to enviable heights under his administration.
Senator Abaribe, while expressing delight at the Governor’s developmental strides, further called for the release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), currently in the custody of the DSS.
Also speaking on behalf of the Abia House of Representatives Caucus, Chief Ginger Onwusibe, alongside the Speaker of the Abia House of Assembly, Chief Emmanuel Emeruwa, thanked Governor Otti for the harvest of projects across the State and observed that through the landmark initiatives, the Governor had already earned himself a second term in office.
The event featured the conferment of a Chieftaincy title of Udo Kpu Enyi of Abia on President Bola Tinubu.
