•Alex Otti
The Abia State Government has directed all local government council mayors in the state to ensure that all political billboards used during the last general elections are pulled down before Christmas.
This directive is imperative as elections are long over, and it is time for governance. It is important to note that this directive applies across the board to all political parties in the state. The Mayors are to ensure strict compliance, reports Nigerian Tribune.
Similarly, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of this week’s state executive council meeting presided over by the state governor, Alex Otti, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, expressed regret that street trading in the state has become a menace and is adversely impacting the newly constructed roads by the government.
According to him, “Despite spirited efforts by the government to arrest the menace, it continues unabated,” warning that the government will not fold its arms and watch the anomaly continue.
“With all the efforts the government has made, this menace (street trading) keeps rearing its ugly head, particularly in Aba. Incidentally, most of the new roads that the government has constructed, people use them to trade, and this will not augur well for these new roads.
“There has been a lot of interface between government officials and the market authorities, and in other instances, the culprits as it were; everything has been done, but to no avail. Despite the fact that this government puts a human face on its activities, by the New Year, the government will go all out to enforce the law.”
Prince Kanu reassured the government’s determination to ensure that one carriage way of the Ossah-Okpara Square road would be completed this Yuletide and informed that the same effort is being put in place for the Aba-Port Harcourt expressway, while the government is sustaining its various road rehabilitations across the State due to how central road infrastructure is to the Otti-led administration.
The commissioner also informed that Governor Alex Otti is committed to making good his promise of defraying all arrears of pensions owed to pensioners by the previous administration, stating, “As a responsive and responsible government, this administration will keep to its promises. The Governor, Alex Otti, will keep to his promises of paying off all the outstanding pension arrears.
He revealed that the state government has installed over 1,700 solar-powered street lights in Aba and Umuahia, adding that this is in line with the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and a step up to the full renewable energy policy in the State.
Contributing, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Engr. Ikechukwu Monday, stated that the Light Up Abia Initiative aims to light every street with solar light. “We started with Umuahia first; now we have moved to Aba. So, next year, we will also be moving to other communities. We want to make sure that every street and every village in Abia is lit up. And the conventional street lights, we are also replacing them with solar.”
Engr. Monday disclosed, “We are also collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Power to see how we can boost power supply in Abia State. There is a project, which is a 132 KVA line that is supposed to run from Umuahia to Mbalano and to Okigwe. This project was awarded in 2001 and it was abandoned. So, when executed, this project would help to improve power supply within that axis.”
He said the government cannot drive industrialization without power supply, hence its commitment to improving power supply. He stated that the project is going to commence again, adding that another project of 120 KVA that also runs from Ohafia and Arochukwu would be commenced soon as discussions with staff are ongoing in that regard.
