Otti Outlines Project to Reclaim Aba from Perennial Flooding

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said that his administration would soon embark on an “ambitious project” of reclaiming Aba, the commercial city, from perennial flooding.

He made this known yesterday during his monthly media interaction at Government House Umuahia, saying that the project would be completed within 18 months in phases.

 Otti noted that without finding a solution to the perennial problem of flooding in the commercial city, the ongoing infrastructural transformation would be a waste of effort and resources.

“We will save the roads we’re building from flooding and also save the environment,” he said, emphasising the multiplier effect of the project.

The flooding of Aba has defied previous administrations as none of the projects undertaken to checkmate the flooding of Enyimba City yielded the desired results.

But this time around, Otti stated that the present government would find a lasting solution to the problem of Aba flooding as part of the Aba development programme.

He passionately appealed to residents to cultivate the culture of environmental cleanliness, adding that “it doesn’t make sense” to live in a dirty environment.

The Abia governor assured Aba residents that within seven days, waste bins would be provided to 18 streets in the city that are not currently served by the state environmental agency, ASEPA.

He lauded the Abia State Orientation Agency for intensifying its campaign on making the people adopt healthy attitudes to their environment.

Otti said that the ultimate goal of his administration is to get Abia residents to the level of consciousness where people would find it hard to litter the environment with waste materials.

“I want us to get to that level where you’ll find it difficult to throw things about,” he said, adding that he looks forward to a situation where if someone throws rubbish anyhow, another person would challenge him/her to come back and pick it.

The Abia chief executive said that “we’ve been firing on all cylinders” in efforts to recover the state from infrastructural decay, pointing out that 26 roads are presently undergoing reconstruction in Aba.

He expressed satisfaction at the implementation of “the zero pothole policy” of his government as internal roads in the capital city, Umuahia and the commercial city, Aba are now smoother and smarter.