Aba and infrastructural revolution

The jubilation is everywhere: Umuocham, Umuola, Ehere, Ukaegbu, Kamalu, Umule and Ukwu Mango. The buzz of bulldozers moving the earth to construct solid drainage systems; the chatter of construction workers now characterise the streets. There is infrastructural revolution taking place in Aba and residents are happy for it.

Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State and the “Japan of Africa”, suffered untold neglect in the past two decades with infrastructure lying comatose. But the massive infrastructural regeneration going on in the city has granted a new lease of life to the residents.

Few days before his inauguration, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, during an interactive session with Aba residents organized by the Kezie Abia Group, promised to flag off the construction of roads in Aba on June 1. Precisely on June 1, he kept his promise by flagging off the rehabilitation of 18.9km roads in Aba. The roads include Umuocham, Umuola and Ehere roads. Others are Ukaegbu, Kamalu, Umule and Ukwu Mango in Faulks Road.

The governor’s commitment to revolutionise the infrastructural development in Abia, especially Aba, is captured in the following lines: “These roads are important to enable vehicular movement within the commercial nerve centre of Abia. The complete renovation of these seven roads would be achieved within my first 100 days in office with street light.” For the governor, quality is the watchword as he reiterates his stance not to compromise quality by charging the contractors handling the projects to do quality jobs and deliver on schedule or be blacklisted by the state.

It has been excitement galore in Aba since the assumption of the infrastructural revolution, with residents freely expressing their feelings. Charles Onyedikam of  Kamalu Street said the action is a demonstration of Gov. Ikpeazu’s commitment to return Aba to its lost glory. A petty trader, Betty Onuoha, while expressing her joy, said fixing road infrastructure in Aba will go a long way in improving the economy of the state, adding, “Aba is the commercial nerve of the state and is critical to the economy. The governor has started on a good note by fixing some key roads in the city.”

For residents living along MCC-Umuojima Road, it is a sigh of relief. Obi Nwankwo, who operates a patent medicine shop along the road, said the dilapidated nature of the road for the past six years has taken its toll on the businesses located along the road. He said: “As a result of the dilapidated nature of the road, many businesses were forced to close down. PHCN office was located on this road but they had to relocate when the deplorable state of the road badly affected their customers’ patronage. Guest houses and other business concerns located along the road suffered the same fate. Before the roads got this bad, the area was a beehive of business activities.”

As part of Abia government’s stride to achieve the N1.5 billion monthly internally-generated revenue benchmark, Gov. Ikpeazu is transforming the city into Small and Media Scale Enterprise (SME) capital. This will manifest in the upgrade of Ariaria International Market. The state is adopting immediate steps to reform the market to its original master plan which include spaces for banking, fire service, car park, police station and otheressential services. The upgrade of the market, according to the state government, is part of the government large-scale plan of a comprehensive infrastructural renewal of  the commercial city of Aba.

Also, within the first 100 days of Ikpeazu’s administration, the government plans to create industrial clusters in Umuahia for agricultural products, Aba for leather and Owazza in Ukwa West LGA for gas. This is to achieve sustainable economic growth of the state. Plans are underway for Abia State to produce shoes and belts for the Nigerian Army, Navy and other security personnel in the country.

Abia State in its Aba Renewal Project has taken a step further to eject miscreants from the popular Enyimba Hotel located at Aba Waterside. The governor’s chief press secretary, Godwin Adindu, in one of his parleys with journalists in Aba, said  the government’s order quitting squatters came as a result of security reports and environmental concerns which emanated from the hotel.

According to Adindu, “The hotel became an abode of all manners of miscreants; that as you are passing through that place, you can agree with me that the picture of that place does not pose a good sight to anybody. No one is happy that since the 1980s when former Gov. Sam Mbakwe built that hotel, it has been lying waste. It has become a wasted vision. Government is not happy about the situation. Anytime any centre, building or structure constitutes a security or environmental hazard to the society, government has every right to take over such place to arrest the situation. I believe that by taking that action to quit squatters, government has reminded ACCIMA on what to do because if they don’t do what they are supposed to do, maybe the next action of government might be to revoke the sale and take over the hotel and develop it.”

The mood currently pervading the city of Aba is captured by one of the residents thus: “If the infrastructural regeneration of Aba is sustained, the city in the nearest future would be a haven.”

Okechukwu Ukegbu

Ukegbu is a journalist and public affairs  commentator.