By Steve Oko

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has warned contractors handling projects in the state to deliver according to specifications, saying he will not accept any substandard job.

Otti gave the warning, yesterday while flagging off the 67-kilometre Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Abiriba-Ohafia road and said he would be visiting the roads with his measuring tapes to ensure the jobs are done according to the terms of the agreement.

He explained that he decided to segment the project into three sections and award them to three different contractors to ensure speedy execution.

He said: “We divided the project into three sections and engaged three reputable construction firms because we  are in a hurry to recover the lost time. We want the project completed as quickly as possible.

“We won’t accept anyhow job. You will see me with my tape to measure what you have done. There will be no hanky panky job.”

Otti, who decried the deplorable condition of roads in the state, said the project was in keeping with his campaign promises to re-set Abia.

The governor, who disclosed that the project was expected to be delivered in six months, said his administration was in a hurry to transform the state.

“When we were campaigning, we told you clearly that we were going to fix Abia State. We told you to weep no more that help was on the way. That’s what we are keeping today. We have come to wipe away tears of many years, ” he said.

Otti noted that the worsening economic situation in the country is posing a challenge for states to live up to their financial obligations, but assured that irrespective of the daunting challenges, he would not renege in his promises.

“No matter the state of the economy, we will keep to our promises. We want our people to move on a motorable road. We want our people living  outside the state to visit home more frequently and help stimulate the local economy. We want farm produce to be evacuated from rural communities on good roads.”

Earlier in a remark, the Commissioner for Works, Otumchere Oti, said the Umuahia-Uzuakoli section of the road would be dualised to enhance the free flow of  traffic in and out of the state capital.

The commissioner who said that Otti  had already started rewriting the infrastructural  architecture of the state, urged the people to support the contractors.