Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has promised to remove all encumbrances hampering the commencement of the implementation of the Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Development (ABSID) project in the State having paid the State counterpart funding of 2 billion naira.
Governor Otti made the pledge on Tuesday at his office in Nvosi, Isialangwa South LGA, while receiving a joint delegation from the Federal Ministry of Finance and the African Development Bank (AfDB) on a supervision and monitoring mission for the ABSID project.
The Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Development Project, a 263.8 million dollar initiative launched in the State last year focuses on urban renewal in Aba and Umuahia, specifically rehabilitating over 248 km of roads, managing solid waste and controlling gully erosion among other key projects.
The governor expressed dissatisfaction with delays and poor feedback from relevant officials, noting that he had previously been misinformed about the causes of the setback.
He reiterated that the State has met its financial obligations, including payment of the State’s 2 billion naira counterpart funding and maintained that the slow pace of progress was unacceptable.
Governor Otti further stressed that idle funds were detrimental to the state’s interests, noting that resources already committed for the project must be effectively utilised to deliver tangible results.
He directed that all bottlenecks be resolved immediately and instructed that the project must be flagged off in April, rather than mid-year as earlier suggested by the delegation.
“You are talking of flag off mid year. No, we have to flag off next month, which is April. Whatever it takes, we must flag off April”, Governor Otti declared.
He also ordered the immediateYou drafting and signing of required documentation, mandated weekly progress reports and reassigned oversight responsibilities to the Chief of staff, Dr Caleb Ajagba and the SSG, Dr Emmanuel Meribeole to ensure accountability.
The governor assured that the State would act swiftly to remove all bottlenecks and fully collaborate with federal government and development partners to deliver the project within the stipulated timeframe.
Speaking on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Assistant Director African Financial Institutions, Dr Oyebola Akande commended Governor Otti for his administration’s Infrastructural strides across the State especially the release of the 2 billion naira counterpart funding, describing it as a landmark for the project.
Dr Akande expressed concern that although the project was approved in 2023 and became in effective in 2024, no major work has commenced despite two years already spent within its five-year lifecycle.
She stressed the urgent need to accelerate implementation, warning that delays in disbursement and bureaucratic bottlenecks could lead to financial losses and called stronger coordination among stakeholders to prevent the project from exceeding its lifespan.
Also speaking, the AfDB representative, Engr. Mrs Sheila Akyza, said that the project is designed to benefit the people of Abia State and must be implemented promptly to achieve value for money.
Engr. Akyza noted that strict adherence to the bank’s procurement processes is essential and called for better alignment between project implementation units and the bank to avoid delays.
She also stressed that compensation of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) is a prerequisite for construction to begin, noting that funds have already been made available for the purpose.
Earlier in his brief, the Commissioner for Works, Engr. Otumchere Oti said the joint delegation from the Federal Ministry of Finance and the African Development Bank were in the state on a supervision and monitoring mission.
He explained that their goal was to engage the State Government on ways to accelerate the
Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Development project and ensure smooth implementation.
