The Abia State Government has commenced plans to restore the World Bank Housing Estate at Abayi Umuocham, Aba, with the State Executive Council directing the Ministry of Housing to undertake remedial works and address activities blamed for the estate’s deterioration.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists at Government House, Umuahia, on decisions reached at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
Prince Kanu said the intervention would cover critical infrastructure within the estate, including roads, as part of measures to improve the living environment and restore the estate to an acceptable standard.
“EXCO has directed the Ministry of Housing to sanitise the World Bank Housing Estate at Abayi Umuocham, Aba.
“The Ministry has been mandated to embark on a number of remedial works to turn the fortunes of the largely deteriorating estate around.
“The facilities at the estate, including the roads, will be given a facelift”, he said.
The commissioner also disclosed that the Ministry of Housing has been instructed to work with the Ministry of Works on immediate rainy-season maintenance of roads at Amaoba Housing Estate in Umuahia.
He said the temporary intervention was intended to improve access to the estate while the government prepared for the permanent reconstruction of its roads.
According to Prince Kanu, the state government has also supplied a new transformer to Amaoba Housing Estate as part of efforts to address the electricity difficulties confronting residents.
Giving further details on the planned rehabilitation of the World Bank Estate, the Commissioner for Housing, Architect Chiemela Uzoije, said an assessment of the area showed that the estate had suffered from neglect and activities inconsistent with its original purpose.
Arc.Uzoije said the state government is determined to restore the estate’s infrastructure and improve environmental management as part of its urban renewal programme.
“His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti advised that we make sure we sanitise the place, and that is exactly what we are going to do.
“We are going to beef up the estate and make it come up to the level of the new Abia”, he said.
The commissioner said the rehabilitation programme would include road improvements and the installation of street lighting, adding that government would enforce regulations against activities such as roadside trading and farming on roads within the estate.
Arc. Uzoije also provided details of the proposed pocket housing estate in Umuahia, noting that the scheme is expected to offer different categories of residential accommodation to prospective homeowners.
The commissioner said the development would feature detached five-bedroom houses with boys’ quarters, semi-detached houses, as well as blocks of two- and three-bedroom flats.
He said the ministry would soon begin registering prospective subscribers through an Expression of Interest process before activating a dedicated online portal for payments.
The commissioner stressed that allocation under the scheme would be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, with construction financed through an off-plan payment structure.
He disclosed that under the arrangement, subscribers will pay 30 per cent at the commencement of construction, another 40 per cent around the halfway stage, and the final 30 per cent upon completion.
Arc. Uzoije added that contractors were expected to mobilise to site within the following week, with the state government targeting completion within a few months of the official flag-off.
Arc. Uzoije said the housing initiative reflects the Otti led administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality housing, adding that prospective homeowners were expected to begin taking possession of the new houses by the end of 2026 or early 2027.
