Otti Expands Entry Route into Umuahia, Renames It After Ironsi

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, yesterday renamed the entry route to the state formerly known as Ossah road to Aguiyi Ironsi Boulevard, in honour of Nigeria’s first military head of state, an Umuahia Ibeku indigene.

The 3.5km road into the city was inaugurated after eight months of reconstruction.

Just at the end point of the road a water fountain was turned on to start spewing jets of water that cascaded into the renovated Okpara Square, a monument named after the late premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Michael Okpara.

Otti said that Ironsi, who was assassinated in the 1966 counter coup, was a great Nigerian, great Abia indigenes and deserved to be honoured and immortalised.

The Boulevard inaugurated by the former Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), Navy Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, marked the third time Ironsi’s name would be attached to a public asset in the Abia capital, coming after Aguiyi Ironsi Conference Centre and Aguiyi Ironsi Layout all in Umuahia.

The inauguration of the entry road, which is now a six lane dual carriage way, was the climax of the series of events lined up to celebrate the first anniversary of the Otti administration.

The week-long activities featured town hall meetings in each of the three senatorial zones, inauguration of completed road projects, thanksgiving service and radio broadcast by the governor.

About 24 hours earlier, three interconnected roads – College Road, Green Avenue and University  Road – were inaugurated in Aba after full reconstruction.

Otti said that the roads had brought to 15 the number of roads his administration has reconstructed in Aba, the commercial nerve centre within the first year of his becoming the state governor.

He reiterated his commitment to transforming the commercial and industrial hub of Abia State into a modern, functional city.

“We are glad to be delivering the 15th road in Aba,” he said, adding that the inaugurated roads were “retrofitted, remodelled, redesigned and rebuilt”.

The Abia governor said that the reconstructed roads fitted with streetlights, all in Osisoma Local Government, a component of the Aba mega city, are of strategic importance to the growth of commerce and smooth movement of people.

He noted that in reconstructing the roads, the lingering problem of flooding in that area of Aba was resolved as it was redesigned with drainage system and an underground tunnel to channel storm water into the Aba river.

“When you see people dancing, when you see them expressing joy, when you see them rejoicing, it is because of what they have been going through and we thank God that today, the story is different,”  Otti stated.