By Peter Okutu
ABAKALIKI — TO upgrade power supply in Ebonyi South Senatorial district, the Federal Government has approved the contract sum of N1.5 billion for the commencement of the project in the area.
The project is to be handled by a foreign firm.

Senate Committee Chairman on Aviation, Senator Ayim Ude, who disclosed this to newsmen in his hometown at Akaeze, Ivo Local Government Area of the state, weekend, noted that his fruitful meetings with the former and current Ministers of Power and leadership of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, led to the approval of the contract by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, for the construction of a 2 by 60 MVA, 132/33KV Sub-station at Amasiri in Afikpo North Local Government Area of the state.
He added that the project would be completed in 2012.

The Senator, who represents Ebonyi South Senatorial district in the Senate, explained that the abandoned Abakaliki-Onueke-Abaomege road, awarded to Bulletin Construction Ltd at the contract sum of N2.9 billion, would soon be terminated and re-awarded to a more competent contractor.

Senator Ude, who is seeking a re-election to the Senate, said he had worked assiduously to ensure that the contract for the design of Enugu-Nara-Isu-Onicha-Okposi-Amasari-Oso-Owutu-Ohafia junction road was awarded before the end of this year.

Vanguard gathered that the Senator, having served his people for about three and half years in the Senate, is handling a variety of projects ranging from water, agriculture, human capital development, employment to Millennium Development Goals projects for the people of his senatorial district.

He said:  “I have also attracted a fully equipped and completed N45 million Emergency Obstetric Care Unit block at Oso Edda, Afikpo South Local Government Area and the on-going construction of classroom blocks with VIP toilets and boreholes at Amanator Isu, Onicha local government, under the 2008 Millennium Development Goals programme.

“I have attracted 31 hand_pump boreholes to the zone under the 2009 Millennium Development Goals that are at various stages of implementation.

“As the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, I played a major role in the upgrade of Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu, to international status by the Federal Government and the on_going works to bring it to international standard.

“There is no international airport in the South East, and yet we have had Ndigbo as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation and Minister of Aviation in the past.

“Under my chairmanship, the committee investigated the disbursement and utilization of 19.5b Aviation International Fund and the Committee recovered N229 million over_charges from the two banks that warehoused the fund.

“I also sponsored a landmark Social Security Bill to provide compulsory stipends to our aged and our unemployed graduates.”