Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has assured the people of Ukwa East that his administration will not abandon any ongoing road projects in the area.
This was disclosed in a statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kazie Uko, on Wednesday.
Otti gave the assurance while addressing a delegation of the Ezumezu Ndoki Patriotic Association, which visited him in his office to raise concerns about stalled road construction and the proposed seaport project.
“About some of the roads you mentioned, there is no road we are terminating midway,” the governor said.
He explained that construction was still ongoing on the Akirikaobu route, which begins from Obingwa and extends into Akwa Ibom State.
“I know that the Akirikaobu route starts from Obingwa. And the construction is still on.
“So, by the time it’s completed, it will terminate in Akwa Ibom State,” he said.
On the Obohia road, Otti acknowledged initial setbacks but insisted work was in progress.
“Obohia road had a challenge. But we have almost solved it.
“And if you go to Obohia road, you will see that construction is going on as we speak.
“The previous administration had awarded it to a company called Heartland. And before we came, the job was abandoned.
“And I engaged and had meetings with them and they promised to go back to the site and I think they are on site.
“So, Obohia road, we found out that the original tunnel that was there had been blocked. The way it is, trying to retrieve it was going to be more expensive than doing a new one.
“So, we decided to do a new one that is deep enough that we can also control to take all the water to the Aba River,” he explained.
On the seaport project, Otti said work had not commenced because of funding concerns, despite feasibility studies already submitted by Chinese partners.
“I was the one who came up with the idea that we needed a seaport. The Chinese who are working with us have turned in their feasibility reports.
“And clearly, a lot of dredging needs to be done. I think from that report, if I’m not mistaken, we need to dredge about 19.5 kilometres to the high sea.
“So, that is not consistent with the initial preliminary report that we got. So, to do this kind of work, it requires a whole lot of money.
“So, we know how dredging is. We have now gone back to the drawing board because before we start any project, a lot of things are important to us.
“One, we must ensure that it is viable, and before we start, we must confirm that we have the money to fund it so that we don’t start a project and abandon it or delay it midway.
“On partnerships, of course, we have all the approvals and licences required. But I want to assure you that it is a project that we have in mind. The new issues that came up are the reasons it looks like we are a bit slow.
“So, we will not start the seaport project until we are very sure that we have the funds to complete it available,” Otti said.
The governor thanked the people of Ukwa East for their support and urged them to regard his administration as their own.
Earlier, the Mayor of Ukwa East, Chibunna Akara, said residents were satisfied with the governor’s performance and eager to support his administration.
Also speaking, the leader of the delegation and President of Ezumezu Ndoki Patriotic Association, High Chief I. N. Ahunanya, commended Otti’s infrastructural drive and pledged the group’s support for his re-election in 2027.
He, however, urged the governor to intervene in road projects that appeared stalled and prioritise the proposed seaport in Ukwa.
