No society grows without good infrastructure. That is not an opinion. It is a fact. And roads? Roads are the king of infrastructure. A good road does not just take you from one place to another. It takes a farmer from his village to the city market. It takes spare parts from Lagos to a mechanic in Aba. It takes a child to school and a sick person to the hospital. Without roads, businesses die. With roads, economies rise. So when a government builds quality roads, it is not just laying asphalt. It is laying the foundation for prosperity. That is why what has happened in Aba over the past few years is not just a story of concrete and drainage. It is a story of promises being fulfilled. A story of infrastructural recovery in Aba, my hometown.
Aba, the commercial heartbeat of Abia State, has suffered for decades from terrible roads, flooding, and neglect. Both the administration of Gov. Ikpeazu and the current government of Gov. Alex Otti have built roads in the city. But the way these roads were funded, delivered, and accounted for is very different.
In May 2020, Governor Ikpeazu appeared on a live radio program on Magic FM in Aba and made a big announcement. He told the people that his government had paid its own share of the money, and as a result, the World Bank had released a huge sum of N27.4 billion through the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP).
Ikpeazu assured the money would be used to completely reconstruct five major roads, Ngwa Road, Uratta Road, Port Harcourt Road, Ohanku Road, and Obohia Road. He promised that the work would be finished in exactly two and a half years. The Vanguard newspaper of 20th May, 2020, and Thisday newspaper of 21st May, 2020 both carried the story. Kindly verify.
The people of Aba were filled with hope. These roads were in terrible shape. The promise of a permanent solution, including an underground tunnel to stop flooding, was exactly what the city needed. The money was secured, the contractors were supposedly ready, and the people were told to expect excellent work.
But here is the truth that many people have chosen to forget or ignore. On 7th March, 2021, during the 2021 Convention of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria at St. Andrews Parish in Aba, Gov. Ikpeazu again publicly acknowledged that the N27.4 billion had been received in full by the Abia State from the World Bank. The money was fully paid. Yet, by the time he left office in 2023, most of those roads were not completed.
In Feb. 2023, Honorable Obinna Ichita, a member of the Abia State House of Assembly representing Aba South State Constituency, formally wrote to Governor Ikpeazu under the Freedom of Information Act, demanding to know how the N27.4 billion was spent. He requested the accounting details, the names of contractors, the cost of each project, and copies of contract award documents. Obinna Ichita stated that his constituents who were directly affected by the bad condition of the roads needed to know how such a large sum of money was spent. He noted that public office holders hold public offices in trust for the people and should not shy away from rendering the accounts of their stewardships.
Governor Otti came and awarded the long abandoned and very difficult Ohanku Road and has since completed it. President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, commissioned Ohanku Road alongside Port Harcourt Road and six other roads in Aba.
Governor Alex Otti’s government funded the reconstruction of Port Harcourt road through Julius Berger using state funds. The 6.7 kilometer, six lane dual carriageway was completed ahead of schedule and commissioned by President Tinubu, who described it as a “true dividend of democracy’’.
As at today, Obohia road has not been recovered. It is still in poor condition. However, it is the government of Otti that is currently working on it. Gov. Alex Otti himself has acknowledged that the previous administration had awarded it to a company called Hartland, and before his government came, the job was abandoned. He has since engaged the contractors, and construction is now ongoing.
Uratta road is still in a state of disrepair. In April 2026, property owners and residents of Uratta Road pleaded with the State Government to at least grade the road and make it motorable as the rainy season approaches. A resident, Janet Ikechukwu, said, “When a road gets so bad that even bicycles and motorcycles cannot ply on it, what do you want human beings to do?” Another resident, Pa Ikenna Okwudili, described Uratta Road as “a road with endless promises, dreams and hopes but one that has ended up getting disappointments, nightmares and hopelessness”. Governor Otti has since announced that his administration will soon flag off the reconstruction of Uratta Road.
So, out of the five roads promised under the N27.4 billion NEWMAP loan, at least three (Ohanku, Port Harcourt, and Obohia) were either not completed or not even started properly. Uratta Road remains a mess. Only Ngwa Road saw significant work. That means the people of Aba are still waiting for the roads they were promised, while the current government is now using fresh state funds to fix what should have been fixed years ago.
Now we come to a very sensitive issue. Some people, especially opposition groups and sympathizers of the past administration, have been asking why Governor Otti spent over N36 billion to reconstruct the 6.7 kilometer Port Harcourt Road. A group called the Abia Collective has described it as a “drain pipe” on the state’s resources. They have questioned why the President Tinubu was invited to commission such an expensive road.
Let me say this clearly, I am not against holding any government accountable. Neither am I against citizens asking for transparency. In fact, I strongly believe that every public official must be questioned about how public money is spent. That’s the right and duty of every citizen. But accountability must be applied equally. You cannot demand transparency from one governor while giving a free pass to another.
The opposition and the sympathizers of the past administration of Gov. Ikpeazu do not have the moral right to ask why Port Harcourt Road costs over N36 billion under Governor Alex C. Otti. And here is the simple reason why.
If you want to question Governor Otti’s cost, you must first question why the same Port Harcourt Road was not fixed with the N27.4 billion NEWMAP loan that was fully accessed by the past administration. That is the logical starting point. You cannot point a finger at the current governor for the cost of a road while ignoring the fact that a huge sum of money was collected for that same road years ago, yet the road remained untouched. That is not how transparency and accountability are demanded, but a flagrant display of hypocrisy. Oh yes!
Gov. Otti himself has addressed this issue. He stated that in 2017, the Port Harcourt Road contract was awarded to a company called Hartland for N9.8 billion, and the entire money was paid out, but the road was not delivered. By 2025, due to inflation, the passage of time, and the need for a more comprehensive scope of work (including flood control), the cost had risen to N36.5 billion. The road was awarded to Julius Berger, and was completed ahead of schedule in April, 2025.
Governor Otti further explained the maths behind the cost. He noted that in 2017, the average exchange rate was N333 to a Dollar. The N9.8 billion spent in 2017 was actually the equivalent of $29 million. In 2025, at an average exchange rate of N1,600 to a Dollar, the N36 billion spent is actually the equivalent of $22.8 million. In other words, the past administration spent $29m without achieving any result, while the current administration fixed the road with about $22.8 million.
If the past administration had done the work when the money was first made available, the cost would have been much lower. Delaying a project for years does not reduce the cost, it increases it. So the people asking about the cost of Otti’s road should first demand to know why the past administration of Gov. Ikpeazu allowed the road to deteriorate further, while the N27.4 billion loan was fully accessed.
Another argument made by past administration sympathizers is that Ikpeazu should be praised for “attracting” World Bank loans to fix roads like Ngwa Road, while Alex Otti is merely using loans and does not deserve special praise. This argument is based on a misunderstanding of how multilateral loans work.
Relax. I will educate you. Come with me.
Look, when a state government wants to secure a loan from the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), or the African Development Bank (AfDB), it is not a passive process. The receiving government plays an active role at every stage. Yes, they do.
Firstly, that state government must provide counterpart funding. This means the state must commit its own money to match a certain percentage of the loan before the funds are released. For example, in the recent $125 million IsDB loan secured by Governor Otti’s administration for the Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Development Project (ABSIID), the total project cost is $263.80 million. This is made up of $125 million from the IsDB, $100 million from the African Development Bank, $15 million from the Canada Africa Development Bank, and $23.80 million in counterpart funding from the Abia State Government itself. That means the state is putting its own money into the project.
Secondly, the loan must be approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and, in some cases, the National Assembly. This requires the state government to lobby and negotiate at the federal level. Governor Otti personally thanked President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, and members of the National Assembly for making the approval possible. The FEC approved the IsDB loan at its meeting of Wednesday, August 13, 2025.
Thirdly, the state government plays a supervisory role during the execution of the project. Under the ABSIID, disbursements are made directly to contractors, but the state government provides policy direction and oversight through the State Steering Committee and the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU). The Governor does not just sit back. He must ensure that the contractors are following the specifications, that the work is of good quality, and that the money is not wasted.
Therefore, when a governor secures a loan and a road is built, that governor deserves recognition for the effort, the negotiation, the counterpart funding, and the supervision. By that logic, if Ikpeazu deserved praise for Ngwa Road (done with a NEWMAP loan), then Otti equally deserves praise for the roads he has facilitated with loans or with state funds.
There is another important point that has not received enough attention. During Ikpeazu’s tenure, the majority of signature roads done in Aba were sponsored by multilateral agency loans. However, under Otti, the majority of signature roads completed in Aba are state sponsored, meaning the government is spending its own Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and allocations from the FG to fix the city.
For example, the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road and Ohanku Road by Julius Berger & Brass Construction Company was not financed by a foreign loan. It was financed directly by the Abia State Government from its own treasury. Governor Otti has also completed the rehabilitation of 90 roads across the state using direct labor by the Ministry of Works, fitting into what he described as the “Zero Pothole Policy”. That is a significant achievement in fiscal discipline. It means that Governor Otti is not relying solely on loans to fix the city, he is also using the state’s own resources to deliver results.
In contrast, the N27.4 billion NEWMAP loan was supposed to cover multiple roads, but many of those roads were not completed. The money was fully accessed, but the work was not finished. Two of those roads (Ohanku and Port Harcourt) had to be funded again by the state government under Governor Otti. Obohia Road, as at today, has not been recovered, but Governor Otti is currently fixing it. Uratta Road remains in a state of disrepair, though Governor Otti has announced that its reconstruction will soon begin.
So the question is, what happened to the remaining part of that N27.4 billion that was supposed to have been used to fix these roads? Why are we not asking this question? Why have we decided to shy away from this critical issue? Isn’t it hypocrisy?
While the past administration left a trail of abandoned projects, Governor Otti has delivered results at a pace that is unprecedented in Aba’s history. One of the evidences is that the 6.7km Port Harcourt Road, a major economic artery, which was completed by Julius Berger months ahead of schedule. Bola Tinubu commissioned it, describing it as a “wonder of recovering the long abandoned Port Harcourt Road” and commending Otti for restoring the glory of Aba.
Again, Otti has completed the reconstruction of 90 roads that were at different stages of dilapidation when he assumed office. In June 2025 alone, he commissioned 14 newly rehabilitated internal roads in Aba. While past efforts were bogged down, Otti moved quickly to address erosion issues and has secured the IsDB loan which includes critical erosion control works within project sites.
Gov. Otti is currently fixing Obohia Road, which was left abandoned despite the N27.4 billion loan. He has also announced plans to flag off the reconstruction of Uratta Road and Old Express Road to complete the full recovery of Aba. The people of Abia must move beyond blind loyalty to their political heroes and start asking data driven questions. We must ask:
1. What happened to the N27.4 billion NEWMAP loan that was fully paid under Governor Ikpeazu but did not complete the roads it was meant for?
2. Why were Ohanku Road, Port Harcourt Road, Obohia Road, and Uratta Road left in disrepair despite that loan being fully paid?
3. If Governor Otti is now fixing Obohia Road and had to fund Ohanku and Port Harcourt Roads with state funds, where did the past administration’s money go?
4. Why do we praise a governor for building a road with a loan but refuse to praise a governor who builds roads with state resources?
5. Why are we questioning the cost of Port Harcourt Road under Otti without first questioning why the same road was not fixed under Ikpeazu when the money was already available? Alex Otti himself has shown that in dollar terms, his administration spent less ($22.8 million) than the past administration ($29 million) on the same road.
Look, Governor Otti may not be perfect, but the evidence shows that he is fixing what was broken. He is completing what was abandoned. And he is delivering results that the people of Aba can see and feel.
It is time to give credit where it is due and demand accountability where it is owed. The fight for Aba’s infrastructure is not a fight for political validation. It is a fight for the truth.
No free passes.
© 2026 Emenike Vincent Onyembi (EVO) is a policy development analyst based in Abuja.
📩 vincentonyembi@gmail.com
PS: Please feel free to fact check me with the reference links below:
1. Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. (2020, May 28). The work we will do on Ngwa, Uratta, Port Harcourt, Ohanku and Obohia roads will make our People Proud…Ikpeazu. https://fmino.gov.ng
2. Vanguard. (2020, May 20). Ikpeazu assures of quality reconstruction of Aba roads. https://www.vanguardngr.com
3. Thisday. (2020, May 21). Ikpeazu Secures N27.4bn World Bank Funding for Aba Roads. https://www.thisdaylive.com
4. Punch. (2023, March 2). Abia lawmaker writes Ikpeazu, requests N27.4bn World Bank loan spending. https://punchng.com
5. ChannelsTV. (2023, February 28). Abia Lawmaker Writes Ikpeazu, Seeks Details Of World Bank Loan Spending. https://www.channelstv.com
6. Daily Post. (2023, March 4). Ikpeazu told to explain how N27.4 billion World Bank fund was spent in Abia. https://dailypost.ng
7. The Source. (2025, May 22). “You Are Shameless, You Spent Over N30b On A Road Without Result” – Otti To Opposition. https://thesourceng.com
8. Daily Post. (2025, May 22). You wasted $29m on Port Harcourt Road without result – Otti blasts Ikpeazu administration. https://dailypost.ng
9. Alex Otti Official Website. (2025, October 3). PRESIDENT TINUBU COMMENDS GOV. OTTI AS HE COMMISSIONS 6.7KM, OTHER 7 ROAD PROJECTS IN ABA. https://www.alexotti.com
10. Vanguard. (2024, June 22). We’ve completed rehabilitation of 90 roads in Abia – Otti. https://www.vanguardngr.com
11. Punch. (2025, August 28). Otti promises not to abandon road projects, clarifies seaport delay. https://punchng.com
12. Punch. (2026, February 2). Otti signals fresh roads construction drive in Aba. https://punchng.com
13. New Telegraph. (2026, April 1). Aba Residents Seek Abia Govt Attention As Rainy Season Intensifies. https://newtelegraphng.com
14. Reuben Abati News. (2026, April 8). Aba residents beg govt to fix Uratta Road. https://www.reubenabati.com.ng
15. New Telegraph. (2025, August 14). Abia Govt Excited As Islamic Devt Bank Gives $125 For Dev Project. https://newtelegraphng.com
16. Punch. (2025, August 14). FEC approves S125m IsDB loan for Abia. https://punchng.com
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