Abia seeks refund for Ohafia-Arochukwu federal road

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti,  has called on the Federal Government to reimburse the state the money spent for the reconstruction of the  41.4 km Ohafia-Arochukwu.

Speaking at the unveiling of the rehabilitated road on Wednesday, Otti said, “We have sincerely taken a bold step to save the Federal Government from international embarrassment. Though this is a federal road, it is important to the Abia people. I, therefore, plead with the Federal Government to take the bold steps to reimburse the state. We have taken the bold steps to fix the road.”

In his speech, titled “Beyond roads: A jinx is broken,” Otti traced the award of contracts for the reconstruction of the road to 1976, saying it birthed the popular saying that: “There is no road to Aro that is easy.”

Otti said, “Decades ago, coming to Aro was an uphill task, as there is no easy road to Aro. We have started a holistic process to put an end to this adage.”

The governor thanked the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for his commitment and cooperation throughout the negotiation with the Federal Government over the road, vowing that: “On no account will any road be allowed to decay for decades” in Abia State.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Mayor of Ohafia LGA, David  Onuoha, described the occasion as historic, marking the dawn of a new era.

“Today,  we declare with full confidence, that the jinx is broken,” the Mayor said.

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