Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti has commissioned the newly reconstructed Omenuko Bridge and the 30-kilometre Abam-Ndi Okereke -Arochukwu road, which connects Ozu Abam to Arochukwu declaring that the age long jinx has been broken.
The bridge, which has stood since the colonial era, had hitherto become a death trap and a source of untold hardship for residents due to its narrow carriageway and deteriorated condition.
The newly constructed Omenuko bridgeThe old omenuko bridge
The newly completed Abam-Ndi Okereke -Arochukwu road and the Omenuko Bridge is expected to enhance trade connectivity, reduce travel time as well as provide relief to residents who have endured years of difficulty occasioned by its hithertho poor state
The Abam-Ndi Okereke -Arochukwu road.
Speaking at the Grand Civic Reception organised in his honour by the Abam Onyerubi Community at Abam High School, Ozu Abam, Governor Otti who titled his speech “At Last, the Jinx Is Broken”, declared that the decades-long nightmare of isolation, failed promises and infrastructural neglect in the area had finally come to an end.
The Governor described the bridge and road as landmark interventions with extensive social and economic importance adding that the projects symbolised his administration’s resolve to reverse decades of infrastructural neglect.
He lamented the economic losses suffered by farmers who were unable to transport produce to markets due to poor road access, describing insensitive leadership as “the biggest burden any community can bear”.
“The newly constructed bridge over Igwu River, popularly called Omenuko Bridge, stands as a testament to the resolute determination of our administration to address decades of neglect and set a new governance standard, one that empowers communities and enables prosperity for all.
“Think of the year-after-year losses our farmers had to live with owing to absence of means to move their produce to urban markets; for an agrarian community like Abam, nothing could be more frustrating.
“In the end, many of us went through multidimensional losses as the rich agricultural produce from Abam wasted, young people missed the trajectories of their destinies and our sons and daughters living outside the community were shut out, not by anyone, but for fear of unexpected twists and turns on the road or at the famous bridge.
“Today, we have turned the page, the nightmare is over, the siege has collapsed, the jinx is forever broken.
“The road and the bridge commissioned today will add to the growing list of successfully executed public infrastructure projects in this community and there is still more to come”, Governor Otti assured.
The Governor paid tribute to victims who lost their lives due to the structural weakness of the old 70-year-old Omenuko Bridge, including families who perished while crossing the Igwu River.
He made particular reference to the late cleric, Rev Dr Uma Ukpai, whose two children died in the river more than four decades ago, as well as Mr Maxwell Uduma, his wife Victoria and their driver and the 17 students who drowned in 2007 on their way to an examination centre.
Governor Otti said the completion of the projects marked a turning point for Abam and neighbouring communities and pointed out that the event was not only about infrastructure but also about resilience and commitment to the new Abia Project.
The Governor disclosed that about 75 per cent of projects initiated by his administration in different parts of Abam had been completed, with more to be delivered within the next 12 months.
He, however, urged the people to remain vigilant against what he described as subtle attempts to reverse the progress achieved under his administration, noting that “Abia has seen the light, and never again shall darkness cover our path.
The Governor used the occasion to announce the appointment of former Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, as President of the Abia Leadership Institute, and confirmed the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, as the substantive SSG.
In his speech, the Leader of Abam Onyerubi, Chief James Ume, lauded the infrastructural strides of Governor Otti in Abam, noting the projects have restored the pride and dignity of the people.
Chief Ume listed the ongoing construction of the Idima Abam–Arochukwu Road and the building of a General Hospital, among other critical interventions, as strategic projects transforming the socio-economic landscape of the area.
He said the Governor’s commitment to infrastructure had renewed hope in communities long neglected and declared Governor Otti the sole candidate of the Abam people in the give coming 2027 general election.
He further announced his personal resolve to purchase the expression of interest form on the governor’s behalf and to mobilise N500 million in support of his ambition.
Also speaking, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government and President of the Abia Leadership Academy, Professor Kenneth Kalu, recalled that the deplorable condition of the 30 kilometre Abam–Ndi Okereke -Arochukwu Road and the Omenuko Bridge had, for decades, subjected residents to severe hardship.
