JUST IN: ‘I have delivered over 150 roads in Abia’ – Gov Ikpeazu

The governor stated this in Umuahia on Saturday in a broadcast to commemorate the 31st anniversary of Abia State.

(Gov Okezie Victor Ikpeazu)

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State said his administration has delivere over 150 roads to the state in the past seven years, to boost its socioeconomic development.

Mr Ikpeazu stated this in Umuahia on Saturday in a broadcast to commemorate the 31st anniversary of Abia State.

Abia was created on 27 August, 1991 by the Ibrahim Babangida-led military administration.
Governor Ikpeazu described the road projects as “monuments” that would testify to the work of his administration.
He said that the roads would also help to stem rural-urban drifts.
“We have delivered many pioneering and indelible landmark infrastructural projects across various sectors of Abia.

(Gov Okezie Victor Ikpeazu)
“A project like the Osisioma Interchange has forever changed the traffic narrative at that junction.

“Other roads we have built around Umuahia are all of immeasurable importance to the continued economic vibrancy of Abia,” he said.

Mr Ikpeazu added that 48 roads projects were on-going and efforts were being made to complete them before 29 May, 2023.
He said the state government had grown a long-term development plan and industrial policy as part of the efforts to encourage sustainable development of Abia.

The governor added that the state government had introduced programmes that improved primary school enrolment from an initial 150,000 in 2015 to about 700,000 in 2022.

He, however, lamented that his administration faced challenges, especially in the area of security and management of workers’ payroll, wage bill, pensions and other emoluments, adding that efforts were being made to resolve the issues.

Mr Ikpeazu charged Abia residents to participate in the 2023 general elections with decorum and respect for the unity of the state.

He said security agencies had been put on high alert to ensure that the peace and unity of the state was not jeopardised in the name of politicking and electioneering.

“There can never be a meaningful development in an atmosphere of rancour and strife.

“We must remember that we have no other place to call home than Abia. We will not set our own home ablaze to spite our brethren.

“Nobody’s ambition is worth the disruption of the peace of Abia and we will work with security agencies to enforce this,” he said.

Mr Ikpeazu also called for the support and cooperation of the people of Abia to make the state an investors’ haven in the days ahead.