…as PPA lauds FG over intervention in state

By Anayo Okoli & Eric Ugbor

UMUAHIA — ABIA State governor, Chief Theodore Orji, has sought the partnership of African Development Bank, ADB, in developing Aba, the commercial nerve centre of the state.

This came as Abia State chapter of Progressive Peoples’ Alliance, PPA, commended the Federal Government and the bank for their planned intervention to address the sanitation problem and decayed infrastructure in the state.

Orji, who spoke when the Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Ojkonjo-Iweala, led a delegation of ADB to the state, last weekend, said the partnership became necessary because of the massive decay of infrastructure in Aba due to long years of neglect.

The governor noted that his government alone could not fix the problem of Aba, stressing that the city needed the assistance of external bodies and agencies as the ADB.
“Aba is a problem; it has been a problem, not now that I am governor. Aba problems made former Governor Mbakwe in old Imo State to be tagged a weeping governor. That problem has been there.

“We are doing a lot in Aba, based on our resources. Even if we put all our resources in Aba it cannot solve the problems. The state cannot solve the problems alone, that is why we welcome you to come and help us. We will do our best, we will cooperate with you and give the technical team you need,” Governor Orji said.

Earlier in his remarks, the Country Director of ADB, Usman Dore, said the bank had proposed an integrated project to tackle rural roads, erosion menace and waste management in the two Abia cities of Aba and Umuahia.

The delegation, on preliminary visit to the state to see things, said that it had earlier dispatched some experts, rapid assessment team to the state to study the problems.
Dore commended Governor Orji for his consistent interest in partnering with the Bank, and promised that rural roads in the two cities would be strategically rehabilitated and updated.

He disclosed that the programme would cover over 80 kilometres of rural and urban roads, including federal roads, erosion control and sanitation projects, saying the project would be executed under the Integrated Rural Mobility programme.