IS THERE FRESH AIR In The South-East?!!!

The southeast is one of the six geopolitical zones in the country and has been unfairly treated by past administrations. The zone, along with the southsouth, gave GEJ the highest votes at the 2011 elections. In the most recent of the series of polls conducted by NOI, GEJ got the highest approval rating in the southeast, even ahead of the southsouth.

For all the support the southeast gave to GEJ, what is the region getting in return? Lets highlight some of FG interventions in the region in the last 2-3 years.

1. Completion of Onitsha River Port. Of all the River Ports being constructed by the FG (Baro, Lokoja,etc) Onitsha Port was the first to be completed. It is now being concessioned. Unfortunately, the concessioning process is taken too long. Yes, the Onitsha Port may not have gone commercial but the equipments being used by Julius Berger for initial works on Second Niger Bridge were delivered through the Port.

2. Construction of Oguta River Port in Imo State. That will be completed before the end of this year and concessioned too.

3. Anambra STATE University was among the 12 universities nationwide that received special impact funds in 2012. It got about N3billion.

4. FG is building a new N2.5billion federal secretariat in Anambra. None existed before now.

5. FG has completed the Onitsha-Owerri road

6. FG has expanded the Bridge-Head to Upper-Iweka section of the Enugu-Onitsha road to 10-lane. The whole stretch of the Enugu-Onitsha road will be completed next year. The road is covered by SURE-P.

7. The FG just awarded re-construction of Section I and II of Enugu-PH road at N90billion.

8. The Enugu International Airport is now open to business with the outside world with commencement of international flight operations.

9. The N13billion New international terminal is under construction at Enugu International Airport. It is the FIRST out of the 5 planned new international terminals to be built in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and PH.

9. Ebonyi now has a brand new teaching hospital. Thus, 5 DECADES after, the southeast now have 2 teaching hospital- University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu and Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA) EBONYI.

10. Ebonyi now has a brand new federal university. It is called Federal University, Ndufu-Alike,Ebonyi State.

11. Contract for the N100billion 6-lane Second Niger bridge has been awarded to Julius Berger. Julius started preliminary work around July and will complete it next month. Between October and November, the President will flag off actual construction work.

12. The PH-Enugu-Maiduguri railway rehabilitation will be completed in December.

13. The Southeast is well covered in the ongoing feasibility studies for modern railways across the country.

14. The Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri is one of the 11 Airports undergoing remodelling.

15. The N1.5billion Zik’s mausoleum and library being constructed in Onitsha.

16. Completion of work on Obiozara-Uburu-Ishiagu road in Enugu and Ebonyi States.

17. Completion of work on Abakaliki-Mbok (Ogoja Junction) road in Ebonyi and Cross-River States.

18. Completion of work on Owerri-Aba Road in Imo and Abia States.

19. Completion of work on Okpala-Igwurita road in Imo State.

20. Completion and commissioning of the crucial second 330KV Onitsha-Benin transmission line.

21. Completion of 1×7.5MVA power injection sub station each in Orafite and Amichi in Anambra states

22. Completion of 2×2.5MVA Eke distribution injection sub station in Enugu.

23. Completion of 7.5MVA power distribution injection substation in Trade fair area of Enugu.

24. Completion of 7.5MVA power injection sub station in New Heaven, Enugu state.

25. Rehabilitation and reopening of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, depot at Aba, Abia State. The depot was closed for over 6 years.

These are the ones I could recall now.

In summary, suffice to say that the East has had fair share of FG intervention within the period. In the next few months and years, it can only get better. And the people of the area will NOT stop demanding for dividends of their support for GEJ.