It is Written by
FRANCIS NWAUBANI
OF THE BCA
According to the Oxford Learners Dictionary, road construction is the process or method of
building or making roads.
It involves the design, building and maintenance of roads, highways, and other
transportation infrastructure to Create safe and efficient routes.
Indeed the milestones by the Dr Alex Otti adIministration on road construction plays a
Crucial role, because it stimulates econornic growth by improving markets access, job creation
and enhancing social connectivity, making transportation easier for the people.
No doubt, good road network especialy those in the hinterland boosts the quality of ife and
accessibility to services like healthcare, Agriculture and irnproves property value, among others
Unarguably, the Umuahia ikwuano-ikot Ekpene road, which is a federal road, is one of
the important roads that link Abia State to States like Akwa Ibom, Cross River and adjudged one of the
busiest and economically viable roads in the Southeast and South South Zones of the country.
Historically, the forty nine-kilometer Umuahia-ikwuano-ikot Ekpene road was first
reconstructed during the President Olusegun Obasanjo Administration in 1999, by HAPEL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY.
Since the collapse of the road, successive administrations, including that of President Good luck Jonathan, have publicly announced the award of contracts for the reconstruction of the road, with no tangible result.
Over the years, the dilapidated condition of the federal road has led to loss of lives and
property, with people and students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umuahia,
having repeatedly protested over the dilapidated condition of the road which has led to the
death of students of that institution at one time or the other.
Despite several remedial works done on the road by the Federal Road Maintenance
Agency,FERMA and the Government, the road has continued to be a nightmare for motorists especially
those on business trips, agricultural purposes, and social services, among others.
However since the award of contract for the rehabilitation of the federal
Road by the Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2019 at a cost of thirteen point two billion naira,
, the recornstruction work has not been intensive which the contractor blamed on lack
of funding.
More so, since the claims by some notable individuals and politicians from Abia State about
attracting the contract and funding of the road through NNPC, much has not been done as
several sections of the road became death traps for the citizenry.
The hopes of the people were high when the present Minister of Works, Senator David
Umahi visited the road Some months ago, to ascertain the extent of work, done, and since then it seemd that his visit like that of his predecessor Prof Babatunde Fashola did not yield much as the condition of the
road continued to worsen with communities that make use of the road finding it difficult to
evacuate farm produce and connecting to the neighboring states, including those on interstate
Journies.
Happily, the recent pronouncement of the State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, on the takeover
of the reconstruction of the 49km Umuahia-lkot Ekpene federal road, which has been fixed for flag-off
today Friday, 24th October 2025, came as a big relief to millions of Abians and motorists. In
truth, the Governor’s intervention on the dilapidated and comatose lkwuano-Umuahia-ikot
Ekpene road demnonstrates his administration’s genuine commitment to the infrastructural
development of the state, which has placed Abia’ in the past two and a half years on a higher
pedestal.
There is no doubt that if the Umuahia-ikwuano-lkot Ekpene federal road is fixed, it will
not only enhance the value of property in the axis but, will safeguard the lives and property of
people who make use of the road and contribute to the economic development of not only
Abia state, but the Southeast and South South Zones in general.
Optimistically, the road users believe that the State Government will expand the road
from the current size to accommodate heavy vehicles plying the road, as well as install its trade-mark streetlights and durable drains to the joy of Abians along that axis and edification of the state.
Consequently, it is also expected the reputable contractor that the state Government
has secured for the road prohect will heed to the contractual agreement and deliver the road on
schedule.
In truth, with what the state Government has achieved in the over one hundred roads
already constructed and reconstructed in the state, people are confident that the Umuahia
Ikwuano-ikot Ekpene road’s present condition will soon be a thing of the past.
