“Gov Otti had lived up to his promises once again of overhauling entire Abia State public infrastructure down to the rural communities and will in no doubt wear the crown as the man that broke a 71 year old jinx of a nightmare that has traumatized Ohafia- Ozu Abam road users.”
Yesterday marks the end of a 71 years old nightmare for the people of Ohafia, Arochukwu, Bende and entire Abia North Senatorial district.The nightmare, a daylight less than 50 meters bridge that has become a death trap for ages defying every efforts that has been made to rescue the short jump to abyss, both religious, traditional and political.
The last formal effort anyone in this region could remember was the official attempt by former Ohafia-Arochukwu Fed Representative Hon Uko Nkole to put the bridge in order through federal interventions, rumor mill had it that both Uko Nkole and Senator Mao Ohuabunwa got into a power tussle over who take the trophy for a mere 45 meters overpass across a steep flowing river that often rises up to twenty feet swallowing entire bridge on a bad rainy day.
As both political ‘heavy-feather’ weight locked up in the alleged tussle, the entire people of Ohafia and Arochukwu whom make use of this short connecting bridge to reach home and transport goods and services back to the capital city remained trapped in an almost eternal nightmare at who’s going to die next driving through the less than a minute walk through at the Igu bridge popularly christened “Omenuko bridge”.
It will merely serve a sad reminder and might evoke resentment revealing the number of unwarranted deaths and precious lives that had ended their journey here, a less than 50 meters bridge that previous political featherweight from this region has manipulated as a short cut to steal from the federal purse.
From the last attempt made to put the bridge to proper shape by some unscrupulous element hiding under the Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), they left a very bad and shoddy unacceptable repair work that did not last a month and all the jobs were knocked off by mere wind from heavy duty vehicles that plies this road daily.
This has been the lot of people of Ohafia, Ozu Abam and entire users of this age long most viable connecting bridge between Umuahia and various rural communities residing along the region until the emergence of H.E. Gov Alex Otti led Labour party government.
This day 4th February 2025 will remain indelible in the history of the 71 year old colonial bridge, a gratitude the people of Ohafia and Arochukwu will forever owe the man that brought back responsible governance to Abia State.
Gov Otti had lived up to his promises once again of overhauling entire Abia State public infrastructure down to the rural communities and will in no doubt wear the crown as the man that broke a 71 year old jinx of a nightmare that has traumatized Ohafia- Ozu Abam road users.
This is the story that will certainly outlive every campaign promises that had merely served as plain deception in the past administrations until the emergence of Labour Party led government of Alex Otti and should another election season tilt towards this region, rest assured, Labour Party under Otti is certain to keep the trophy as the man to trust to deliver genuine dividends of democracy.
Gov Otti had in previous occasions broken similar records at the Aba-Port Harcourt road and so many other historic public infrastructures abandoned the toga of Federal Roads, a mere constitutional rhetoric that Nigerian politicians once elected has harped on to deceive the recipients of those public infrastructures, for the benefit of doubt; Federal Concentrations every Nigerian knows too well had always resides in Abuja while less attention is paid to those critical road networks that criss-cross and connect the states and their rural communities.
Gov Otti continue to prove that development is possible when the right leaders are elected or appointed into public office and on this date, he has proved just that.
In a state he delivered at the flag off ceremony; He said, “What we are doing as a government is that anywhere that we see that work needs to be done, we don’t wait for people to ask us, we begin to do the work.”
Congratulations to the people of Ohafia and Arochukwu
Njoku SaintJerry A. is an ambassador State of African Diaspora (SOAD) Nigeria, He writes from Nigeria
