Aba Roads Don’t Lie: Why Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu Deserves the Credit, Not the Noise | #NwokeukwuMascot

 Opinion 

Aba Roads: When Those Who Know Speak We Should Listen by John Okiyi Kalu | #NwokeukwuMascot

A young friend of mine recently visited Aba and took to Facebook to praise the incumbent Governor, Alex Otti, for “doing a great job” on the roads and I asked him where he visited in Aba so I can enlighten him on who did what. I was in Aba before and after Ikpeazu’s administration and should know. In fact prior to the Inaugurationj of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu on the 29th of May 2015 I went round with a camera crew led by Gabriel Aguwa Paul to record the state of roads in Aba and also before May 29th 2023 when Alex Otti was inaugurated I also went round with a team led by Chidiebere Ikonne to record the state of roads in Aba and Umuahia. 

There is no true resident of Aba that will not first give credit to the Ikpeazu-led government for the work done at Aba without noise. It is also this attempt to re-write history that must have annoyed the maker of this social media video who I personally don’t know. This young man’s sense of history must have been offended by those who didn’t know that as at the time Dr Okezie Ikpeazu became Governor of Abia State in 2015 there was no single good road to enter Aba from any of the 3 major entry points with most of, if not all, the internal roads in bad conditions without exception. Feel free to approach me for any relevant video on the condition you will share the truth afterrward.  

In response to my young friend,, who I consider a very decent person,  I want to recreate the likely routes followed by him into Aba and mention all the roads done by Dr Okezie Ikpeazu he must have used last week and then wait for any living soul to come forward and say “It is not Ikpeazu that did that”.  If none can dispute what I am about to write then show Ikpeazu well deserved respect. He didn't have N700b to spend in two years (or even 4-7 years) yet he accomplished these and much more. 

1. Assuming my young friend approached Aba from the Enugu-PH Highway done by the Buhari administration these are some of the road projects done by Ikpeazu he must have used or seen:

I. Along the express road, after Umuikaa junction that connects Owerri airport,  as he makes approach to Aba city he must have seen on his left the well paved Osokwa-Aro-Umuejie road which is a 9km short cut created by Ikpeazu into Aba when the reconstruction of Enugu-PH highway lingered and caused serious traffic gridlock along the expressway. It ends at Obikabia-Umuene road also done by Dr Okezie Ikpeazu to connect Aba (via Ogbor-hill) to Obingwa, Osisioma, Isiala Ngwa South LGAs of Abia State. (See footage of the road below) 👇🏽 

II. At the hitherto congested Osisioma roundabout where our people used to spend hours because of traffic congestion he must have seen the Osisioma Interchange (flyover) done by Dr Ikpeazu as the first ever in the state. My friend must have spent only seconds or at most a minute to pass Osisioma Junction because of the work done by Ikpeazu. 

III. To enter Aba city from Osisioma junction he must have turned left under the flyover into Aba-Owerri road that was reconstructed and properly dualized by Ikpeazu as a 4-lane road with functional drains and street lights. But if he missed the left turn under the flyover he also could use a shortcut, Omni road, done by Ikpeazu back into Aba-Owerri road. (See footage of the Osisioma Junction Ikpeazu met and the one he left)👇🏽 

IV. Along Aba-Owerri he likely saw MCC roundabout leading to MCC road that will lead him to Ariaria market through Samek road with those two roads (Samek and MCC) reconstructed by Ikpeazu. Off MCC road he must have seen Umuojima Road that leads through Abayi police station that was also done by Ikpeazu.

V. Presumably our tourist continued along Aba-Owerri road, saw Club 25 road leading to the Teaching Hospital in Aba that was reconstructed by Ikpeazu with cement technology on the left and also passed Umuatako road on the right and Kamalu road on the left. All done by Ikpeazu after years of abandonment.

VI. Continuing, he should pass Immaculate junction on the left and see beautiful  Immaculate avenue road done by Ikpeazu before getting to brass junction also done by Ikpeazu with spy traffic lights that was the first ever in Aba.

VII. At Brass junction, if our visitor follows his left he will drive through well paved Nicholas street done by Ikpeazu.

VIII. But if he turns right he should enter a Brass-Faulks road that will lead him straight to Ariaria International Market that Ikpeazu reconstructed the A-line and also pass Okigwe road and Osusu road  junctions on the left. Ikpeazu reconstructed Brass, Okigwe and Osusu roads to connect Faulks (Ariaria) road. In the process he defeated the famous “mammy water” at Ama Ikonne along with “Ukwu Mango” wahala and the very important Faulks road stretch, which he renamed Sam Mbakwe road, terminates at the Enugu-PH express way. Given the subsequnt post about who he met in Aba it is safe to assume he used Faulks road and was impresed. Ikpeazu did those roads. (See footage below) 👇🏽 

IX. Assuming my beloved young friend continued along Aba-Owerri road, from Brass junction, with all the street lights installed by Ikpeazu he will cross railway junction and probably turn right into Eziukwu road leading to Cemetary/Eziukwu market. If he asked any banker in Aba he would have heard that Eziukwu road axis that hosts some key banks in Aba was impassable before Ikpeazu came to the rescue. Ikpeazu reconstructed that road and connected it straight to the famous Eziukwu market and even reconstructed the famous Azikiwe road that connects to Shopping Center Market where my friend might have gone to buy textile materials to make his clothes. Aba has the best tailors and fashion designers in Africa. 

X. If my young friend grew up in Aba he must also be familiar with Milverton road where most of us boarded luxurious buses to Lagos and the North as well as Ojike lane that used to be the building materials hub of Aba. Ikpeazu reconstructed Milverton road and Ojike lane for Ndi Aba. Not Otti. (See footage below )👇🏽 

XI. Along Factory road he could have turned left to Ikot Ekpene road at Bata junction towards Ogbor Hill and be surprised that there is no more pungent stench and traffic gridlock at waterside. Ikpeazu successfully and peacefully relocated the cattle market and “ahia udele” market to ensure that we no longer have deadly accidents caused by articulated vehicles that lose control and kill our innocent people. He also saved East street, end to end, all the way to Ngwa road and totally reconstructed Ngwa road to open up the famous “Ahia Ohuru” market. Indeed he reconstructed additional 5 roads within that Ngwa road axis and also started work along Obohia road but couldn’t complete that before Ikpeazu lelt office. The contractor was fully paid, to the best of ny knowledge, but i susoect the wasteful Otti chased them away because of bitterness. It was also Ikpeazu that fixed Park road for Umu Aba and rehabilitated many other roads along that axis. DO YOU KNOW THAT THE CHANNEL JULIUS BERGER IS USING TO EVACUATE STORM WATER FROM PORT HARCOURT ROAD WAS DONE BY IKPEAZU WHO DID THE URATTA-UMUAGBAI POND CHANNEL? Ikpeazu’s contractor has already been paid to channel further from Umuagbai to Waterside. (I challenge the current Permanent Secretary In the ministry of works, apponted by Otti,  to dispite my assertion). Otti is hurting Abia state with his needless bitterness.

XII. If my young friend continued along Ikot Ekpene road he would have been surprised to see that more than 8 years after Ikpeazu reconstructed Ukaegbu road in Ogbor Hill it still looks great. When that road was done Ikpeazu didn’t like the fact that it was not done with rigid pavement technology like Ehere and Umuola roads that were also done by him and so refused to formally commission Ukaegbu road till he left office. He also refused to commission Ovom road which is on the other side of Ikot Ekpene road because he also didn’t like the quality of work done. Ikpeazu will not commission a road that is merely “patched” or re-asphalted as part of routine maintenance. He considered routine maintenance of roads as something that cannot be celebrated by a serious leader. 

XIII. How will I tell my young friend that the perennial traffic gridlock at Opobo junction and around Ehere market junction actually disappeared because Ikpeazu totally reconstructed that area with rigid pavement and went all the timber market along Ikot Ekpene road while also constructing nearby Nwa Obasi estate road with street lights installed there? Ikpeazu procured and deployed more than 5000 street lights accross Abia state.

2. Assuming my friend came into Aba from the private government house of Alex Otti in Umuehim Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South LGA chances are that he will use Obikabia-Obikabia stretch of road done by Ikpeazu and land at Obikabia junction roundabout also fixed by Ikpeazu. May be he saw Enyimba Garment Factory on his right and Enyimba Shoe Factory on the left established by Ikpeazu before he got to Obikabia junction. From there he may have used Ehere, Umuola and Ukaegbu roads done by Ikpeazu. May be he even visited family members at Ebenma, Egege and Hiltop areas done by Ikpeazu. 

 

At the Obikabia junction he should see the well paved and dualized Ururuka road on his left done by Ikpeazu and on his right Omoba (New Umuahia) road that Ikpeazu did more than 75% of the reconstruction including drains, earthwork and stabilization before Otti threw out the contractor in July 2023 out of bitterness and used another contractor to finish the work with the usual “humongous” amount of money wasted. 

May be my guy came from Uyo Airport and traveled through Ekwereazu-Ntorr Edino road that Ikpeazu did to join Ururuka road and enter Ogbor Hill, Aba.

For emphasis, I have only attempted to plot the path of my young friend in my head since he failed to disclose when I asked. This does not in any way represent all the roads done by Ikpeazu in Aba as he did much more. I am fairly certain that no sane Aba resident will dispute the fact that Ikpeazu did all the roads I stated here. I know many honest citizens and residents of Aba will voluntarily add other roads Ikpeazu did at Aba. Pictures are available on demand.

There are many key socio-economically important roads in Aba including Port Harcourt road, Faulks road , Ngwa road, Aba-Owerri road etc. ikpeazu tried to do as many of them as possible but it was tough finding the funds to do all that at a time revenue inflow into Abia was very low and driving IGR was also difficult because for years, before Ikpeazu, traders in Aba were basically not making money because nobody was coming to buy due to bad roads. 

Ikpeazu also faced political pressures from many who believed he should not focus on Aba as he did yet he stuck to his guns and restored Aba. Politicians like Alex Otti also worked very hard to sabotage his efforts in Aba including writing needless petitions and physically visiting Abuja and Abidjan to truncate the AfDB facility of $225m Ikpeazu got for Port Harcourt Road reconstruction and sanitation projects in the city. Mr Otti publicly admitted that he sabotaged Ikpeazu and the facility that could have fixed PH road in 2018. Thats how wicked someone can be in the course of unbridled quest for power.  Hopefully, nobody will do same to him because evil should not be emulated. 

It was Ikpeazu that, for the first time in the history of Abia State Governance, introduced rigid pavement (cement) technology in urban road construction and also made it compulsory for all urban roads to have well defined drains (gutters) that must verifiably lead to our storm water collection point at waterside in Aba. Most of the roads he reconstructed within his first 100 days are still standing strong today and more than 90% of the roads he did in his first two years are still in good condition.

Ikpeazu started Port Harcourt road Aba project but didn’t finish it. As he said in those days in office, “every leader should ensure that he uses available resources to fix our roads well, in order to add to our road infrastruture stock, in a manner that will make it grow over time. Let my successor do those ones I couldn’t do and also add to our total road infrastructure stock in a deliberate manner that ultimately leads to lasting development of our state”. By fixing PH road Aba, albeit at a soul-searing cost, Otti has fulfilled the good wish of Ikpeazu for Ndi Abia.

No government in the world can do everything and those promoting Otti’s PH road project, as if that is the only important road in Aba, are very wrong. Ikpeazu reconstructed many more socio-economically important roads in Aba of equal or much more value to our people. As at today Ikpeazu is the champion of Aba road projects among all the current and past governors of Abia State. Feel free to dispute that with facts only. Otherwise, give Ikpeazu his flowers.

NB: On demand I will also map out some of the road projects done by Ikpeazu at Umuahia in addition to what Ochendo and OUK did in the capital city.  It was Ikpeazu that used Arab Contractors to end the long story of perennial failure along Aba road Umuahia especially around Eastern Comfort axis and also Afo-Ibeji in addition to other road projects.

©️John Billions