The Abia State Government has announced the commencement of full enforcement of the use of waste bins in all commercial vehicles across the state as part of efforts to sustain environmental cleanliness and promote proper waste disposal habits among commuters.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
According to him, the initiative is being driven by the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), whose sustained sanitation efforts, he said, have continued to position Abia among the cleanest states in Nigeria.
Prince Kanu explained that the enforcement exercise is aimed at ensuring that passengers dispose of waste responsibly while commuting within and across the state.
Speaking further, the Commissioner revealed that the state government is recording significant progress in road infrastructure development under the current administration.
He stated that out of the 29 roads currently under contract, three have been completed and would soon be commissioned. The completed projects include the 2.213-kilometre Umuogo-Nsukwe Ring Road, the 5.95-kilometre dualisation of the Onuimo Bridge–Abia Tower Road, as well as the 11.5-kilometre expansion and reconstruction of the Nunya-Eluama Road.
Prince Kanu also disclosed that five roads executed under the Direct Labour initiative have equally been completed out of the 51 ongoing projects.
The completed Direct Labour projects, according to him, include the maintenance of failed sections of the Osisioma Flyover, rehabilitation of failed sections along the Port Harcourt–Enugu Expressway leading to the Ugwunagbo Local Government Secretariat, maintenance and asphalt overlay of Adaelu Road from Osisioma Junction to Mopol Base in Aba, construction of the Oberete-Umuopara Road in Obingwa Local Government Area, and the construction of the Geometric Power to Guinness Junction Road in Aba.
The Information Commissioner further announced that Governor Alex Otti recently paid a courtesy visit to the new World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr. Matthews Verghis, in Abuja as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen development partnerships between Abia State and the World Bank.
He noted that the meeting provided an avenue for both parties to review existing collaborative programmes and explore new areas of partnership capable of accelerating development across the state.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Mrs. Ngozi Felix, said the Executive Council appreciated the Governor’s engagement with the World Bank Country Director, expressing optimism that the discussions would further enhance the state’s access to World Bank-supported programmes.
Mrs. Felix identified key areas of collaboration between Abia State and the World Bank to include energy, education, agriculture, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), noting that the sectors align with Governor Alex Otti’s development agenda for the state.
