Your Excellency,

Warm greetings from the dusty plains of Isuikwuato Local Government Area, Abia State.

First and foremost, I commend your courage and political will in making difficult but necessary decisions for the greater good of our nation. Though Nigerians have endured some level of economic hardship following the removal of fuel subsidy and the floatation of the naira, your bold policies are beginning to show signs of turning the economy around. We recognise that sustainable growth often demands sacrifice, and we are hopeful that the current challenges will give way to a more prosperous future as the positive signs are already manifesting.

Mr. President Sir, I write to bring to your esteemed attention, a matter of national interest and concern. I find it highly inappropriate and disrespectful to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for you to be invited by the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, to commission a 5.9-kilometer, Trunk B road, which was executed at an astronomical cost of N36.5 billion, translating to an estimated N6.18 billion per kilometer. Meanwhile, former President, Chief Obasanjo was invited earlier to the state by Governor Otti to commission a longer road, despite the fact that it was merely a surface asphalting of the about 40 kilometers stretch instead of total reconstruction, yet the cost remains unknown and your office was not considered for that event. Now, an inflated short road project is deemed worthy of presidential attention.

Your Excellency, given your record of awarding major Trunk A roads at significantly lower rates, like the 77-kilometers Onitsha-Enugu road for N150 billion and 30.2-kilometres Aba-Ikot Ekpene road both of which would cost Federal government, N1.94 billion for a kilometer; It is therefore contradictory for you to lend your presidential presence to such a project that exhibited fiscal recklessness. At overinflated cost of N6.18billion for a kilometer, the road in question, reconstructed PortHarcout road, Aba, is on a flat ground, has no bridges, flyovers, rail components, or extensive road furniture. Even more concerning is that nearly 40% of the work was completed by the previous administration.

Furthermore, it is disheartening that the Hon. Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, is advocating for your attendance to commission a single road project which bears all the hallmarks of fiscal irresponsibility, especially when governors in other Southeastern states, such as Imo, Anambra, and Enugu, have hosted you to commission multiple iconic, impactful and transformational projects, many of which they attributed to your administration’s policy reforms and improved federal allocations.

It raises questions when a minister and a relative of Governor Alex Otti, who as a former governor delivered remarkable infrastructure with fewer resources within his first two years in office, now supports such questionable expenditure in Abia by inviting his boss, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to commission. If this project, executed by Julius Berger at that scale and cost, is the only achievement Governor Otti can present, then it should not require your personal endorsement. The Ministry of Works or a representative would suffice for such an occasion.

Abians deserve transparency and value for the public funds entrusted to Governor Alex Otti. The current administration in Abia must be held to the same standards of accountability and fiscal prudence expected across the nation. Governor Otti’s continued stay and governing Abia from his private residence, despite the significant federal allocations received under your administration, is also troubling and appears to undermine constitutional norms and the dignity of the state. Your Excellency, you have openly mentioned it, yet Governor Otti remains adamant.

It is deeply ironic that while the bank Governor Otti founded, the Signature Bank, has expanded rapidly from two branches in 2023 to 14 branches and counting by 2025, physical infrastructural development across Abia State remains minimal. This stark contrast underscores the need for greater scrutiny of the state government’s priorities and resource allocation.

In conclusion, I respectfully urge you, Mr. President, to reconsider the planned visit to commission this lone project in Abia State. Let the Minister of Works or another federal representative stand in your place until the state government can present a portfolio of projects worthy of presidential recognition.

With highest regards and continued confidence in your leadership.

Citizen Eric Ikwuagwu writes from Abia State.