Umahi’s praise for his cousin, rings hollow as Otti’s Portharcourt road is more expensive than Lagos coastal highway  

*With due respect to Minister Dave Umahi, your effusive praise of your cousin, Governor Alex Otti, is not only misplaced but insulting to the intelligence of the people of Abia, especially now that it has become public knowledge after two years, the much-touted Otti’s “signature project,” reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road in Aba, was actually a Federal Government endeavour.

*For the avoidance of doubt, it was under your tenure as Minister of Works that the Coastal Highway was awarded at less than ₦3 billion per kilometre, with the most expensive section costing ₦4 billion per kilometre. Let me remind you Sir, that the Coastal Highway includes numerous infrastructure components like, bridges, flyovers, railway lines, lightening,

substations, and more, yet still comes in at under ₦3 billion per kilometre. Meanwhile, under your supervision, the Federal Ministry of Works approved an upland trunk B road in Aba, with no such road furniture, at a staggering ₦6.18 billion per kilometre. How is that justifiable and to deserve pouring praises on Otti?

*Minister Umahi Sir, what engineering and financial records did you rely on before your ministry approved the outrageous sum of ₦36.5 billion to reconstruct a 5.7-kilometer trunk B road on stable land, especially when a reasonable part of the work had already been completed by the previous administration? Did you consider the ₦8 billion revised cost proposal submitted in 2023 by the contractor already on site to complete the project? What informed your decision to reject that more reasonable offer from an equally reputable construction firm in favour of an exorbitant and unrealistic ₦6.18 billion per kilometre? Or were you not presented with the ₦8 billion proposal at all?. Or are there things Abians need to know about the preference for the N36.5 billion?

*In fact, it comes as a shock to many Abians that the overhyped Port Harcourt Road reconstruction project is actually a Federal Government undertaking. Therefore, the rightful praise should go to the President, not indirectly to Mr. Peter Obi’s Labour Party.

*The deceit deepens when the Federal Government’s funding role is deliberately omitted from public statements. The President is not mentioned. The cost is hidden. The truth is obscured. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Works has abdicated its oversight role, allowing inflated contracts to be passed off as state achievements.

It is unconscionable that Abians and Ndi -Igbo are knowing two years after ,that Mr President is behind all these Federal roads which Abia Governor has been advertising as personal achievement including the Port Harcourt road Aba ,while reimbursement is being processed by Federal Government. 

*Truth be told, overinflated contracts are not favours to the people, rather they are long-term liabilities. Future generations will bear the burden of repaying the liabilities tied to these artificially bloated projects.

*Minister Umahi’s “surprise visit” to the Abia State Governor, whom he shares familial relationship with and the ensuing needless glowing commendation while ignoring critical issues of transparency, accountability and poor quality work, reeks of political theatre rather than genuine assessment of the Abia Governor.

*Politically speaking, where is the place of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his party in all these federal project takeovers, if federal roads are being rehabilitated by the Abia State Government, repackaged as ‘milestones’ for the Labour Party administration, and later quietly reimbursed by the Federal Government?

We demand the review of the process that led to the transfer of these Federal Executive council (FEC)approved roads but handed over to Abia state Government. 

1 Ohafia to Arochukwu road 

2 Umuahia to Ohafia road. 

3 Arochukwu Abam Bende road

4 Onuimo to Umuahia Abia Tower expansion 

5 Osisioma  NNPC Ekeakpara road 

6 Umuikaa Owerrinta expansion 

7 Port Harcourt road Aba

*This charade needs to end. The true Picture and nature of Federal Government intervention on roads and bridges in Abia needs to be known by Abians and Nigerians .The people deserves the truth and not this rehearsed photo-ops and cousin-to-cousin commendations packaged as achievement.

 Chief Eric Ikeagwu

Abia state PDP Publicity Secretary Writes from Isiukwuato.

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