BY ANAYO OKOLI

ABA, the commercial capital of Abia State, popularly known as Enyimba City, was in the past not only the pride of Ndigbo but the former Eastern Region because of its strategic commercial and industrial position in the nation.

It was a very viable centre of commerce which served traders, industrialists and other businessmen from the entire West African Coast and beyond. In Aba, they easily got whatever wares they needed in the various markets scattered across the commercial city. Apart from the traders, small scale investors also found Aba a haven and handy as their tools and machines of any shape, were easily fabricated by artisans in the commercial city.

Architecturally, Aba is well planned. The streets are wide enough with well tarred roads and good drainage system. The streets link each other, making movement easy for the residents and visitors alike. It was indeed the pride of Ndigbo and it was great to say that you were from Aba, the great city where women rioted in 1929. That was old glorious Aba.

Today, the above description is direct opposite of the old Enyimba city due largely to many years of neglect by previous governments in the state. Also the reckless living habit of the residents who through acts of indiscipline dump refuse and other rubbish into the drainages and even on the roads, the consequence being the blockage of the well planned drainages in the city. This caused flooding and eventual damage of the roads. The many years of neglect turned Aba to an abandoned city. The commercial value diminished greatly. Both the residents and visiting traders and other businessmen found it difficult to access markets in the city on account of the decayed infrastructures, especially the roads.

In the midst of the dwindling business fortune of Aba, the city in the recent years suffered yet a major and perhaps a more serious problem when violent crimes, particularly, kidnapping rose to all time high. Kidnapping became the order of the day. It was so alarming that criminal elements almost over ran the city, forcing the residents to flee and relocated temporarily to other places. However, presently, the situation is positively and happily changing for good.

The present Government of Chief Theodore Orji has shown interest, courage and political will to return Aba not only to its old self but a better glorious place. Current government activities in the city in the area of projects execution can attest to this.

As a first step, the Government collaborated with the Federal Government and moved troops led by now Major General Sylvester Audu to restore security by fighting and subduing the kidnappers and other criminal elements that molested residents. The troops returned life to Aba. Residents who flee the city returned. Today, Aba is secure. Business and investment confidence is returning. The troops have come to stay in the state. They have their main barracks at Ohafia and a large Camp in Asa, less than 20 minutes drive from the Aba city.

Having restored security which to every business man or investor is the first condition to be considered before any other thing, the Government has now delved into rehabilitating the decayed infrastructures as well as providing new ones to give the residents a sense of belonging and make Aba work again for the good of the people and the development of the state.

Verifiable records available show that today the situation is changing for good. Various projects are on-going in Aba to restore the glory of the commercial city. Among the prominent ones are the reconstruction of the Ukwu Mango Road, which links the popular Ariaria International Market with the rest of the city, which has not been in use for years because it was abandoned, the construction of a Pedestal Bridge in front of the Abia State Polytechnic to ensure the safety of students and the de-silting of the more than; four kilometre School Road/East drainage system which had remained blocked for decades, a factor which is the major cause of the notorious Aba flooding, the rehabilitation of the Ohanku Road and East/Ahia Udele Water Side Erosion control as well as the Ama Ogbonna Erosion channel project.

With the opening up of these blocked erosion drainage channels, it is believed that floods will freely flowing as the rains come to enable the roads last.

Again, to restore sanity to the commercial city, the government is building a central motor park at Osisioma, along the Port Harcourt-Enugu Express road. The construction of the central motor park which is nearing completion, will decongest the city which has numerous chaotic motor parks scattered all over the town with its attendant nuisance, as all vehicles will be diverted to the central park.

Aside the  many road contracts awarded and those where actual construction work is going on inAba, including the completed popular and busy Faulks Road, other important on-going projects include the construction of a massive auditorium at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, (ABSUTH), Aba. Also, the dignity of Ariaria International Market is being returned as the Government has embarked on the rehabilitation of the dilapidated internal roads in the popular market.

To appreciate the level of infrastructural rehabilitation work going on in the commercial city, Aba South Traditional Rulers, led by Eze Sunday Emejiaka, who said that they are the indigenous owners of Aba, recently visited Governor Orji at the Government House, Umuahia, with gifts, saying that they came to thank him “for what is going on in Aba”. They said that “everybody in Aba now feels the impact of governance and the people are happy”.

However, like in any other unhealthy democratic environment, the opposition parties still attack government on development issues. In fact, they claim that nothing is happening in Aba, a claim, stoutly faulted by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Theodore Orji, Mr. Ugochukwu Emezue. Emezue told Vanguard: “I get worried over people who give blank claim that nothing is happening in Aba just to score cheap political points.

Scoring cheap political points

If they say the government has done something but should have more one can understand. But seeing all the ongoing projects in the city, including completed ones, especially, road projects, and somebody still said that nothing is happening in Aba, to me is very bad politics.” He challenged such opposition parties to keep politics aside and be objective to visit Aba and tell the world the real situation of things in the commercial city.

However, the truth is that Aba was abandoned for too long. The level of infrastructural decay is enormous and will take some time to resuscitate and return the city back to glory. Therefore, it is wrong to say that this government is not doing anything in Aba. It will also be wrong to assume that the government has returned Aba to its old glory. The truth and fact is that Governor T.A. Orji is doing serious work in Aba. He has indeed aggressively begun a good journey towards restoring the old glory of Enyimba City. Perhaps, the coming months and years will show how much he can go towards achieving this.