By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has commissioned a series of newly reconstructed and newly completed road projects across the state, including the 22.5-kilometre Abiriba–Ohafia Highway, which he named Chief Otisi Kalu (Abbot) Road in honour of a late political ally and prominent son of Abiriba Kingdom.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony at Abiriba Junction, Governor Otti said the road forms Section Three of the 67-kilometre Umuahia–Uzuakoli–Isuikwuato–Alayi–Abiriba–Ohafia Highway project. He recalled that Sections One and Two of the highway were commissioned last year by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and named after the late Prof. Joe Irukwu.
The governor described the late Chief Otisi Kalu as one of the pillars of his political movement and a man whose brilliance and contributions to society earned him widespread respect.
During the event, Chief Leslie Ebueme Ezikpe, popularly known as the Dike Eji Eje Mba of Abiriba, commended Governor Otti for immortalising the late Kalu and urged Abians to continue supporting and praying for the governor for what he described as his transformational leadership.
In addition to the Abiriba–Ohafia Highway, Governor Otti commissioned the 11.5-kilometre Nunya–Eluama Road in Isuikwuato and renamed it after former Military Administrator of old Imo State, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu. He also commissioned and renamed the Umuebereaja Link Road in Isuikwuato as Onyeike J. Onyeike Road.
Other projects inaugurated include the reconstructed seven-kilometre Abiriba Ring Road, the 2.35-kilometre Obilohia–Amune–Ovim Umuakwu Road in Isuikwuato, the reconstructed Chris Uche Road in Igbere, newly constructed internal roads at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Umunna Bende, and the Eluoma Road in Uzuakoli.
Governor Otti said the road projects were conceived to improve accessibility, stimulate economic growth and enhance the quality of life of residents. He noted that the internal roads within the NYSC Orientation Camp had been in a deplorable condition, necessitating government intervention to create a more conducive environment for corps members.
He also praised the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) for delivering the Abiriba–Ohafia Highway according to specifications despite challenges posed by unforeseen underground conditions that delayed completion.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Works, Engr. Otumchere Oti, explained that Section Three of the Umuahia–Uzuakoli–Abiriba–Ohafia Road project would have been completed alongside the first two sections last year but for technical challenges encountered beneath the road corridor.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Obilohia–Amune–Ovim Umuakwu Road, former Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uche Ogah, former Governor of old Imo State, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (retd.), and former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika (retd.), praised Governor Otti’s infrastructure drive, describing it as a redefinition of governance in the state.
They argued that the governor’s performance in office had positioned him strongly for a second term.
In Igbere, political stakeholder and Bende Federal Constituency aspirant, Dr. Chima Anyaso, lauded the governor’s achievements over the past three years, particularly the ongoing Umunna Specialist Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, which he said would create jobs, improve healthcare delivery and benefit residents of Abia North.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Greater Ohafia Development Authority (GODA), Elder Obinna Odum, commended Governor Otti for what he described as transformational projects across Abia North and other parts of the state, expressing confidence that residents would reward his performance at the polls in 2027.
Precise Post recalls that the commissioning ceremonies were attended by the Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, and other top government officials.
