Aba Renewal and Gov Orji's Transformation Agenda

When professional faultfinders lampoon the Abia administration, with not very choice words, about the state of infrastructure in Aba, little do they realise that the level of degradation that has ravaged Enyimba city for decades does not call for quick fixes or cosmetic remedies which they are wont to proffer.

Historically, it is a city that wears several hats from its early beginnings as a colonial administrative centre, World War 2 army rehabilitation centre,railway town, to its present role as a transnational commercial epicentre of the Eastern heartland- home of Ariaria Market famous for shoes, bags and other household items. Aba has one of the best football clubs in Nigeria.

It was a city that was well planned by the British in a structured format that met town planning standards.In the past, before you turned the sod in the soil for a building project, a potential developer had to follow set procedures. This includes obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections and obtaining utility connections.
Before the civil war years,a registered town planner analyzed the proposed site of a building and drafted an environmental impact assessment report which listed the potential impact of the project on the environment such as the noise, traffic and increase in human density issues.
After wading through the gamut of due process, the Aba Town Planning Authority issued you with a building permit which was strictly adhered to the letter.

Contiguous to the permit was the provision of canals, ducts and drainage channels for flood water control. A labyrinth of culverts, chutes and deep sewers, channellingall waste water into a massive gutter that spouted it into the river. Public and open spaces, including recreational parks, added to the aesthetic value of the city up till the end of the civil war when things went awry.
The masterplan of Aba was obeyed more in the breach as developers and sundry traders built houses and shops on top of drainage and side walks. Motor parks, mechanic garages,workshops, garbage heaps dotted every open space to the extent the city was morphed into an environmental nightmare.
Recall that the topography and geography of Enyimba city is susceptible to ravages of nature.
It was on account of these that a former state chief executive in the eighties was pejoratively labelled as 'Weeping Governor' when he requested for federal assistance over the Ndiegoro, Aba flooding.
The truth of the matter is that when gutters are blocked,the effluent is denied the right of way, it flows into people's homes and the roads don't last.Previous administrations tackled the problem in an incremental manner.
It is against this background that Governor T.A. Orji's transformation agenda that encompasses the urban renewal of Aba has emerged. Presently, 1800 houses, shacks, hovels are sitting on and blocking gutters and sewage system in Aba.
Except these unapproved and illegal structures are demolished, all the investments by the administration of Ochendo in road infrastructure will end up in smoke. For the records, Aba has gulped quite some humongous investments.
Sampler: Dualization/reconstruction of Aba Owerri Road, reconstruction/ dualization of phase 1 Aba-Owerri road (from Osisioma Express road junction to Umuimo Road Junction) 3.4km; rehabilitation of five selected roads: Ehi Road (2.1km), Ehere Road (0.8), Ogbor-Hill, Azikiwe road, Asa Road.
Also noteworthy are the reconstruction/rehabilitation of Ohanku (4.7km), rehabilitation of Osisioma park- Ekeakpara road (4.5km), reconstruction of Asa Road, Aba Owerri Road by Umuiron junction to Aba Motor Park and asphalt overly of Asa Road, Construction of unity Garden/Osisioma Ring Road.Construction/dualization of Aba-Owerri road phase 11 (from Umuimo Road junction to Aba Motor Park) and asphalt overlay complete the picture .
Reconstruction of Port-Harcourt Enugu Express way from Osisioma Junction and reconstruction of Obohia Road, construction of additional stretch of the Osisioma Ring Road, construction/rehabilitation of Samek Road, construction of Old Express Road cannot also be ignored.
It is strange to note that people block drainage which results in flooding, and turn around to blame the Governor. When the submerged road disintegrates or is eroded, the state government draws unusual flak as if nothing had been done even when the same road was worked on in the last season.
It is heart-warming that the Aba Landlords Association have endorsed the proposed demolition plan of illegal structures.
This support signposts the direction and thinking of contemporary pulse in development planning which basically is the public upgrades including infrastructure such as streets, roadway improvements, sidewalks, utilities, public spaces, or plazas.
These upgrades address declining areas, provide incentives to attract business and housing, build streets, and utilities, enhance traffic flow and public safety and support private investment in Aba.
Dr Orji, the Abia state helmsman, in his service-driven nature, has stood firmly with Aba. He is equally cognizant of the obvious fact that Aba is of high political and social awareness, therefore nobody in his right mind can afford to toy with it. In truth, he is aware that Aba is laden with hardworking people who have unimaginable vote potentials.
As it appears, Aba gets more than required attention evident in billions spent in construction, maintenance of infrastructure and crime prevention. Do we need to recall the apocalyptic years when Enyimba city, the Japan of Africa, was the fiefdom of muggers, body snatchers and baron robbers.
It was Governor Orji who inspired and put into place a crackerjack security template that gulped huge resources in collaboration with the military joint task force that restored tranquillity.
Following the assurances, some investors with interest in various fields have sent delegations to the state for feasibility studies, while many others have indicated interest to come into the state to do business. An offshore investor that has shown interest, Alkamali Petroleum, a Dubai based oil and gas company, is keen in to establish a refinery in Ukwa West.Ochendo invites all stakeholders to a treat.
As a consummate and thorough bred statesman, he has always extended an olive branch to and welcomes the opposition, including faultfinders, moaners, grumblers for an inclusive and anti-exclusionary ideal government that will move Abia forward.
Mr. By Chinyemike Torti, a public policy analyst, wrote from Lagos.

The Vanguard