By IJENDU IHEAKA

Gov. Alex Otti of Abia on Wednesday commissioned work on the Ohafia – Arochukwu Road, more than three decades after it was abandoned.

In a speech at the event held at the Ohafia end of the road, Otti said that the contract had broken the jinx on the road built by Dr Michael Okpara’s administration.

He said that It would be delivered in 18 months to end the popular adage, which says that “there is no easy road to Arochukwu”.

The governor said that the state obtained permission from the Federal Government before embarking on the project.

He said the construction would save the Federal Government international embarrassment because the road in the past served tourists visiting national heritage sites in Arochukwu.

Otti said that the road, when completed, would give over 60 communities a new lease of life through improved economic activities, given the abundant limestone and kaolin deposits in the area.

He said that the road would revive agrarian communities and restore the state’s agriculture corridor.

The Commissioner for Works, Mr Otumchere Oti, said the construction of the road would mark a turning point in the socio-economic life of the people.

Oti said the 41.1 kilometre-long road had 7.5 meters width and 1.5 meters wide shoulders.

He also said that all the hills on the road, which had become death traps, would be cut to size by IAC Allied Technical and Construction Company Ltd, the firm handling the project.

The Site Engineer, Mr Chris Soribe, said the project would be delivered on time because Otti had provided everything needed for it.

Soribe said the road would be constructed following international standards, while thanking Otti for choosing a local/international company to do the job.

The Chairman, Ohafia Local Government Area (LGA), Chief David Onuoha, said the construction would end the sufferings of the people of the area.

Onuoha said the project would herald a new era in the area and urged the residents to support the construction efforts.

He thanked the governor for breaking the jinx, pointing out that the road had been a nightmare to the residents of the area.

The News Agency of Nigeria of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Ohafia-Arochukwu Road had been awarded several times for construction by the Federal Government but had suffered serious setbacks in its execution. (NAN)

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