The government of Abia State have debunked a viral story that it arrested and locked up people of Ngwa after they tried to stop a major development of Port Harcourt road in Aba which has been in total mess since 1999.
According to the viral post in which many thought is welcoming, the Gov. Alex Otti led administration contracted Julius Berger to start working on the link road but the residents decided to make momentary demands. They blocked the road and forcing the company to stop work. But the governor calmly invited them to come take some, arrested them and ordered work to continue.
Dr Chiemeziem on X tweeted;
”PortHarcourt road in Aba has been a total mess since 1999. Alex Otti set out to work on it and Ngwa people used Ọmụ to barricade it, apparently seeking a settlement.
He invited them to Umuahia for peace talks and youths and elders jumped into buses and went to Umuahia.
He locked them all up and ordered Julius Berger to get back to work.
No nonsense governor.😂😂😂😂
But in a quick response for clarity and peace, the government of Abia debunked the rumor. The statement reads;
”Our attention has been drawn to a trending social media report wherein the authors, for whatever purpose, alleged that Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, had some young people and elders arrested after he allegedly invited them for peace talks in Umuahia.
The fact of the matter is that Gov. Alex Otti did not at any time order the arrest of anyone or group of people in connection with any remote or immediate event before and after the flag off of the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road in Aba.
”To begin with, majority of Ndi Abia from all clans across the state, irrespective of their cultural and religious leanings are profoundly appreciative of the Gov. Otti’s resolve to rehabilitate the long-abandoned Port Harcourt Road which until its collapse in the mid-1990s was a major hub for the sale and repair of heavy duty machineries and spare parts, serving the Port Harcourt industrial complex, further consolidating Aba’s reputation as a major market for manufacturers and big businesses across the country and beyond.
It is estimated that the collapse and subsequent abandonment of Port Harcourt Road by previous administrations cost the city hundreds of billions of naira in earnings, job opportunities and other missed opportunities.
It then beggars belief that anyone or group would wish to stand against the resolve of the Otti administration to fix that stretch of road, solve the perennial flooding problems in that part of Aba, and make the environment business-friendly once again, as envisaged by Governor Sam Mbakwe of old Imo State who constructed the road to expand the frontiers of economic opportunities in Aba.
For the records, reports of protests by some youth and subsequent invitation to Umuahia by Governor Alex Otti is untrue and a figment of the imagination of those promoting it, for reasons we cannot immediately determine.
The Alex Otti administration once again assures well meaning Abians in particular and Nigerians in general that it is committed to holistically rebuilding and restoring our public infrastructure and shall continue to ignore the antics of detractors seeking to sow seeds of rancour to divide our people.
These agents of division must be made to know that Abians are now wiser and shall never allow anyone or group mislead them with false reports and concocted tales.
Gov. Otti’s resolve to set Abia on a new, more progressive direction remains unshaken. He does not take the goodwill of the public for granted and would continue to respect the opinions of those who gave him the mandate to lead.
Members of the public are especially encouraged to be wary of the antics of several mischievous characters whose stock-in-trade is to create divisions that only serve their selfish agenda.
We are one people, sharing a common destiny and must remain united as we walk past the wilderness of yesterday into the glorious future that is our rightful heritage.” The statement concludes.
