Being the Text of an Address Presented by Governor Alex C. Otti, OFR, at Reception to Celebrate the Commissioning of Umuode and 13 Other Roads Reconstructed within the Aba Urban Corridor on Tuesday, June 10, 2024 at St Joseph’s College, Asa Triangle

Protocols

1. Human beings have a natural desire to migrate to places where there are prospects of better rewards for their enterprise and labour. Since the beginning of time, urban centres are known for welcoming throngs of new visitors who are regularly attracted by the promise of better economic and social opportunities for themselves and their families.
2. For more than 100 years, Aba, the central economic hub of the old Eastern region, has welcomed persons of different social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. People come here from different parts of the world, not because of its extensive sophistication as an urban settlement but for the opportunities it offers, the rewards it promises and the hope it stirs in everyone walking upon its earth. Aba’s uniqueness in the main is the inviting embrace it gives everyone who comes here to either find their path in life or build on the fortunes of their forebears.
3. Aba, for the millions of people that have cracked their kernel of fortune here, is more than just an urban location; it is a place of destiny, a land of the brave and the truest metaphor for rebirth and renewal. The story of this city today affirms the optimism of the men and women, businesspeople and landlords who refused to give up on it through its long season of neglect but rather doubled down on their conviction, insisting that one day, everything will change and from the ruins of yesterday, a glorious new dawn shall emerge. While many may have mocked them for their rigid faith, the transformation of the last 24 months is proof that the optimists understand this City better, having watched it survive the devastations of a civil war and many other social and economic upheavals that would have eternally wrecked several other communities. Aba survived the structural failures of the early decades of the 21st century because it is built for the tough and for all whose faith and belief would not be shaken by life’s twists and turns. The resurgence of our dearly beloved Enyimba City reaffirms an immortal truth that indeed, victory comes to those who look beyond the darkness of the night to the bright lights of the rays of the sun at dawn.
4. On this note distinguished ladies and gentlemen, let me warmly welcome you to this all-important get together, happening just after the successful commissioning of chains of interconnected roads that speak to our urban renewal agenda and commitment to the holistic restoration of the Aba urban corridor. The Umuode, Bakassi, Enyimba Junction – Ariara Gate, Isu Ihiteukwa Roads and 10 other stretches of roads within Aba have been fixed to generally improve the business environment, elevate our urban experience and add to the appeal of the communities around here because roads do not just create paths to new opportunities, they restore ancient landmarks. I am glad that you have come out in your numbers to be witnesses to the evolution of Aba as a strategic commercial and industrial destination.
5. We have gathered together in celebration, not of roads but of a new epoch. While we rejoice at what we have been able to accomplish in the last 2 years in the area of road infrastructure projects and the opportunities that have been created, the real accomplishment should be seen in terms of the hopes that have been restored, dreams we have revived and the collective stories we have curated for our children and grandchildren. This city has traditionally been for the bravest and the modest efforts of the last 2 years would forever be etched in our history books and passed on from one generation to the next to remind the children of tomorrow that giving up is alien to our character.
6. I would like to specially appreciate the business owners, landlords and the residents for their patience and the massive support they gave the engineering team while they worked on the different stretches of roads within this corridor. Thank you for your understanding and commitment to the timely delivery of the projects. I have to acknowledge that you were very effective in your role as stakeholders and we do not take that for granted. As always, the State Government will continue to carry you along in the execution of development projects because for us, beyond just the successful execution of projects, post-delivery maintenance support is actually an integral part of our infrastructural restoration protocol and this process has to be managed by the primary beneficiaries. I expect you to take more than a passing interest in seeing that the roads are not vandalised through commercial activities or neglect. These are your roads, paid for by your taxes and the resources that belong to all of us. In that regard, we all have a solemn duty to be at the forefront of removing and preventing whatever presents a threat to the service life of the roads. We must all commit to keeping the environment clean and ensuring that the drainages are not blocked by waste and foreign objects.
7. These road projects are all the more significant because they were executed in line with our long-standing promise to deploy the resources of the land to develop all parts of the State, repair broken infrastructure and reposition our communities to take advantage of the opportunities of the new world. Our grand vision is to make Abia a model state and the first step in that regard is to build a system of financial prudence — putting resources to investments that yield the best outcomes for the present and future generations. I am glad that across the State today, especially within and around Enyimba City, significant proof exists that we are doing just that!
8. Over the next few years, Aba would not just attract people from all over the world because of the glory of the past, this City would pull investors from within and outside Nigeria because of the unique advantages it offers. As I said recently, Aba has a distinct edge that rival cities in the region can only dream of. In addition to a large population of skilled and resourceful workforce, this city enjoys the unique advantages of sharing boundaries with major oil towns in Nigeria and nearness to functional seaports to access foreign markets and receive stocks of imported raw materials at reduced logistic costs.
9. Beyond the traditional practice of coming to the city to find employment or set up businesses, people will henceforth come to Aba to establish firms that will serve global markets in tech, remote services and much more. This vision would be facilitated by the gains that have been made in building an independent energy supply system and the robust investments we are making in broadband support infrastructure. These new streams of investments and progress arising therefrom would see enterprises in this City go beyond the restrictions of the brick-and-mortar business model to more time-relevant hybrid platforms — combining regular office spaces with a stable presence in the digital ecosystem. In the New Aba, all you would need to prosper and reach your goal is to have the courage to wake up each morning and chase your dreams. Here, there shall be no limit to what you can achieve because the force of nature and the government would be with you.
10. As I conclude, let me remind us that actualising our grand vision for Aba and Abia in general would require your continuing support and partnerships through prompt and regular payment of your taxes and other statutory fees. You are also encouraged to continue to cooperate with law enforcement agents to keep our communities safe. Above all, I invite you to renew your commitment to making this City the best place to live, work and achieve whatever you aspire to.
11. Lastly, let me thank the management team and members of the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) for their commitment to timely project execution and strong guarantee of quality. May I also congratulate the newly appointed Chairman and members of the GADA board on their new assignment. We expect them to bring their extensive wealth of technical and managerial experiences to bear in the discharge of their duties. I am happy with the immense strides GADA has made in the last 18 months of operations and we expect things to get better in the years ahead. GADA as we envision it would not just spearhead the development and expansion of modern infrastructure within the Aba urban and suburban corridors; it would play critical roles in shaping what becomes the social and cultural character of the city in the new age. Aba, as I had argued elsewhere, is unlike any other regular urban settlement, it is the heartbeat of a people and GADA would pump in the oxygen to keep the system in constant motion.
12. In the same vein, commendations are also due to the management team of the the State Ministry of Works for their diligence and competence in managing our road infrastructure assets in different parts of the State. The giant strides that have been made in the restoration of network of roads across the State is largely due to the competence, dedication and commitment of our people at the Ministry of Works. I want to specially thank the Honourable Commissioner, Engr. Don Otumchere Oti and everyone who is involved in the design, execution and supervision of our road projects whether they are awarded to independent contractors or done through direct labour like many of the roads we have just commissioned.
13. Let me thank the technical teams in the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies for justifying our confidence in them by the quality of their outputs when we put them in charge of direct labour jobs or ask them to supervise projects awarded to independent contractors. Engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and other body of professionals working for the State Government have become central to our infrastructure development agenda and I am proud to announce that because of their industry and high sense of professionalism, the State has been able to take on many important projects and deliver them in good time and at reasonable costs because they share in our commitment of putting the development of Abia above personal interests. These professionals embody the spirit of the New Abia and we cannot thank them enough for their services and hunger to contribute their skills and experience to the development of our dear State.
14. Thank you for listening and may God bless you.

Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR, 

June 10, 2025