Otti breaks jinx on Umuopara Ring Road

…Determines to complete construction before end of 1st tenure

Governor Alex of Abia State, Wednesday, flagged-off the construction of Umuopara Ring Road, Umuahia with the promise that the touted jinxed road, will not be abandoned.

Many informed commentators in the State, designated the road project, as the most politicised in the history of the State with almost every administration making a promise about it, flagging it off and then abandoning it.

Governor Otti, however, informed such commentators that his administration this time around, has begun its construction and would successfully complete it on schedule.

According to the Abia State Governor, “The Umuopara Ring Road will not feature in any political campaign for elective offices in the State again. We shall deliver it to the people before the next election, so that whoever wishes to earn the votes of Ndi Umuopara, would look for another needs-area to address in order to win their support.

“My promise this evening is that by the time campaign activities for 2027 begin, if the Lord tarries, there will be no mention of this 6.92 kilometre-road, because it must have been completed and opened for public use.

“This administration, as I mentioned in August when I flagged-off the reconstruction of the Ohafia-Arochukwu Road in August, is a jinx-breaking Government, committed to breaking the barriers that had held down the productive energy of our people in the various communities.”

He said that his government has taken on, and delivered on tasks it was initially told could not be done and achieved satisfactory outcomes on all the key development parameters, be it infrastructure restoration projects, urban sanitation, effective territorial control and responsiveness to the demands of the civil servants, retirees and those operating within the entrepreneurial and self-employment ecosystems.

He said that the Umuopara Ring Road will on completion, become another strong testimony of his administration’s resolve to achieve significantly different outcomes from the mediocrity that the old order attempted to force down the people’s throats.

Governor Otti promised to use the project to say thank you to Ndi Umuopara and the larger Umuahia community for their unalloyed and unwavering support to his administration, and for their unforgettable role in the actualisation of the New Abia Project.

To that effect, Governor Otti said that half measures shall have no place in the execution of the road project, stressing that everything will be done to specification, to make the road durable and supportive of the economic and social activities of the communities within Umuopara and beyond.

In the words of the Abia State Governor, “We are committed to broadening the economic horizon of Umuahia, by expanding the spread of social infrastructure. I mentioned in Aba yesterday at the reopening of Obiora Street that we are committed to creating a standard development benchmark in every community in the State, such that no matter where you live, certain social amenities and services, including good road networks, access to basic education and healthcare services, communication and internet facilities are not only available, but of high quality.”

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He stated that the initiative shall begin from the communities outside the immediate urban precincts of Umuahia and Aba, such that those who live in the suburbs can boast of the same quality of social services, as their friends living at the central districts of the cities.

Governor Otti promised that his administration shall extend the drive to other communities, so that no matter what part of the State one operates from, would always be connected to the urban experience.

“The programmes we shall unveil to drive this agenda will not only improve the quality of life in today’s rural communities, but will also serve to decongest the urban areas.

“One common misconception around Umuahia is that it is a civil service town. Nothing can be farther from the truth, because we have a large population of entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals and artisans working and living in the city.

“Umuahia once hosted some of the most important industrial establishments in the Eastern region, employing thousands of people directly and much more indirectly.

“Our State Capital was once a booming industrial and administrative centre, but suffered great decline, as the leadership standards and expectations went downhill. Under our watch, however, there shall be a great turnaround and what was once thought dead, would roar back to life,” Governor Otti promised.