Rehabilitation of Umuahia/Ikot Ekpene Road: Acknowledge Onuigbo’s Sustained Efforts, Give Credit to Federal Government, Charles Ogbonnaya Tells Gov. Otti

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, has warned against the re-flagging of the rehabilitation of the Umuahia/Ikot Ekpene Road, saying it had already been done by the federal government in 2019. This followed the remedial work carried out on the road by Ferotex Ltd from December 2016 to April 2017.

Ogbonnaya noted that any attempt by the Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti, to claim credit for the project, would be deceitful, as the APC-led federal government has assumed responsibility for the project.

Ogbonnaya’s alarm came on the heels of Governor Alex Otti’s pronouncement at the monthly media chat tagged “Governor Otti Speaks to Abian” .

According to the Governor “We are almost set to flag off the reconstruction of the Umuahia/Ikot Ekpene road, and that should happen in the next few weeks” .

The former Commissioner in Abia State noted that although he was not against Otti carrying out the project, credit must be given to the federal government, as he wondered why the Governor was flagging off the project for a second time after it was previously done six years ago.

According to him, “That project was formally flagged off in 2019 after it was attracted by the former member representing Umuahia/Ikwuano Federal Constituency, Hon. Sam Onuigbo. The problem had been funding.”

He noted that, at various times, Hon. Onuigbo, even after leaving the Green Chambers, had been rallying stakeholders to persuade the federal government to adequately fund the project.

“I had expected the governor to join hands to ensure that the project is funded, but if he has decided to take over, it is still okay, but it certainly doesn’t require a second flag-off ceremony,” he insisted.

Ogbonnaya, who is the Evulogu Ibeku, submitted that since the federal government will eventually refund Abia State whatever amount it spent on the rehabilitation of the road, courtesy demands that the APC should take the credit.

He said it was necessary to put everything in correct perspective and acknowledge the sustained role played by Hon. Sam Onuigbo towards the realization of the project instead of Otti rushing to claim credit for political gains.

“Let the people know who initiated the project and let them also know the involvement of the APC federal government. Certainly, there is no need for a second flag-off of the rehabilitation of the road,” Chief Ogbonnaya declared.

Recall that the Federal Government awarded the worst failed section of the road to Ferotex Construction Co in 2016 for remedial work, but actual work started around December 2016 and was completed in April 2017.

Subsequently, it was awarded to Hartland Ltd. and its sister companies in 2019 for total rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, it has experienced serious funding challenges, particularly from the annual National Assembly budgetary ritual.

Thereafter, Rep Onuigbo worked with others to secure the NNPC Tax Credit Scheme mechanism, which has assisted immensely in funding the project to the level where nearly three quarters of the project had been completed. Subsequently, Rep Onuigbo and other stakeholders fought for the augmentation of the original contract value to N14.37 billion and this was approved by the Federal Executive Council on February 03, 2025. Because of the strategic importance accorded the project, the augmentation was granted long before the Annual Appropriation Bill was assented to by President Tinubu.
Key Segments Rehabilitated on the Road include:

1. -FMC Umuahia/Umudike Junction to OPET/Umuafai
2. ⁠-Dozie Way/Streams of Joy/Ehinmiri to Ahiaeke. Craters and a mini river emerged on the stretch of this segment and made commuters’ journey very miserable.
3. ⁠Government College Umuahia/Mandy Filling Station to ABSU/National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike (major drainage work completed)
4. ⁠-Amaoba/Umudike Junction to Umugbalu (major drainage work completed)
5. -Amawom Kilometre 10 (major gully erosion that had eaten up fences and houses recovered)
6. -Methodist High School/Nnono Junction Ndoro through Okwe to Isiala (Ikwuano LGA Headquarters); a segment that hitherto witnessed four major death traps before its rehabilitation.
7. 
   -between Methodist High School Nnono junction and the Assemblies of God Church Ndoro

• -between Ikwueke junction at Ndoro and Community Primary School Ndoro.
• between Okwe Community Primary School and the Apostolic Church Okwe. (A trailer once fell into the crater on the road and was covered with water. It was so serious that the trailer could not be seen from a short distance).
• 
  -between European Union Town Hall Okwe and the boundary between Okwe and Isiala
• 
  -between Ikot-Ekpene axis and Obot-Akara in Akwa-Ibom.
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  Recall too that the Federal Ministry of Works (FMoW) on the 27th of June 2023 through the then Federal Controller of Works, Abia state, Tochukwu Onwubiko at a Town hall meeting convened by Indigenes of Ikwuano under the umbrella of the Ikwuano Federated Unions reeled out bottlenecks militating against the speedy completion of the project including but not limited to paucity of funds, issues relating to compensation and variations in cost of materials from it was awarded to then. He was thereafter encouraged by the stakeholders present to focus on the aforementioned segments of the road, which they described as critical, as work continues on the road.
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  It is also an established fact that sometime last year, the present Minister of Works Engr. Dave Umahi inspected the ongoing construction work on the same Umuahia Ikwuano/Ikot Ekpene road.
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  With these number of completed segments of the road, supervised by the Federal Controller, Abia State, and later inspected by the Minister of Works, Sen David Umahi, after assumption of office, the unanswered questions some are asking include:
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  1: Is Governor Otti, who earlier announced the flag off of the reconstruction of the road, changing the contractor to complete the remaining work?
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  2: Is he scraping the work already completed to start afresh, or is he modifying the existing contract?