Otti flags off reconstruction of two key Aba roads after years of neglect

Abia State Governor Alex Otti is set to flag off the reconstruction of Uratta Road and Old Express Road in Aba, two major routes whose poor condition has disrupted transportation, commercial activities and access to residential communities for years.

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According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the governor’s media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, work on the roads had begun ahead of the day’s scheduled formal flag-off.

Roads abandoned for more than two decades

The two roads are considered important to Aba’s commercial and industrial activities, with Uratta Road connecting several adjoining streets to Port Harcourt Road and Old Express Road. At the same time, Old Express Road serves as a key route within the city’s industrial layout.

Mr Ekeoma said the roads had suffered neglect for more than 24 years, leaving some sections impassable and forcing residents and businesses to contend with difficult transportation conditions.

According to the statement, Uratta Road provides access to more than 100 adjoining streets. Its poor condition has affected residents, traders and small-scale manufacturers who depend on the road to transport goods and access their businesses.

The statement said the road had become waterlogged and overgrown with weeds, discouraging commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators from using it.

Similarly, the deterioration of Old Express Road forced heavy-duty truck operators, fabric merchants, spare-parts dealers and small businesses to use longer routes, increasing transportation costs and affecting productivity.

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Government targets economic recovery

The Abia State Government said the road reconstruction was part of its broader effort to restore Aba’s infrastructure and strengthen the city’s commercial base.

Aba, one of southeastern Nigeria’s major commercial centres, hosts manufacturing clusters, markets, and small and medium-sized enterprises that depend heavily on functional roads to move raw materials and finished products.

The government said the reconstruction would improve market access, reduce transportation costs, facilitate the movement of goods, and support businesses operating along the affected corridors.

Mr Ekeoma cited the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road as an example of the administration’s infrastructure programme, claiming that improved road access had encouraged shops to reopen, attracted manufacturing activities and increased property rents along the corridor. However, the statement did not provide independent data to substantiate the claims.

The government also said the new projects would complement other road interventions in Aba, including work on Ohanku and Obohia roads, as part of efforts to improve connectivity within the commercial city.

Projects to include drainage, streetlights

Beyond road construction, the administration said its projects included drainage systems, solar-powered streetlights, and pedestrian walkways, which it described as necessary to improve safety, accessibility, and flood resilience.

READ ALSO: Otti pledges accelerated work on Abia industrial park project

Mr Ekeoma said Governor Otti viewed infrastructure development as an economic strategy rather than merely a construction programme, arguing that better roads would help businesses operate more efficiently and create employment opportunities.

He also quoted the governor as saying at an earlier church event that his administration was shifting attention from basic infrastructure improvements to healthcare, education, technology and industrialisation.

Otti remains in Labour Party amid defections

The governor, a former banker, was elected in 2023 on the Labour Party platform, defeating candidates from the major established parties in a state historically dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party.

Mr Otti has remained in the Labour Party despite the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

His administration has made rehabilitating Aba’s roads and public infrastructure central to its governance agenda, presenting the city’s recovery as essential to reviving economic activity across Abia State.