Member representing Bende Federal Constituency, Hon. Benjamin Kalu has assured that rehabilitation work will soon commence at Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia Road to alleviate the suffering the people are passing through.
While stating that the comprehensive repairs of LOT2 of the road has now been included in the 2021 national budget proposal, Hon. Kalu noted that the development is worth celebrating this yuletide.
In a statement signed by his Senior Legislative Aide, Chidozie Aja, the House Spokesperson also added that a few kilometres on the Etitiulo Itumbuzor road will be repaired to add to what Senator Dr Orji Kalu, Senator representing Abia North is already doing.
The statement read, “It fills me with great joy to celebrate the commencement of the rehabilitation of the Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia Road (F107).
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“My dear constituents, the journey for the reconstruction of this road has been an arduous but worthwhile one. Even though this rehabilitation/general maintenance merely provides us with some respite while we await the comprehensive repairs of LOT2 of the road which has now been included in the 2021 national budget proposal having been recently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) following my persistence, it is still worthy of celebration as we prepare for the yuletide and the accompanying road commute that it entails.
“Allow me to provide a quick recap of the journey so far.
“As you know, the deplorable state of the Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia road which cuts across Ikwuano Umuahia, Bende and Arochukwu-Ohafia federal constituencies has been a source of great hardship for ndi bende for several years.
“So, naturally, upon assuming office, I moved the first motion of the 9th National Assembly on 13 June, 2019 which led the House to pass a resolution drawing the attention of FERMA to the urgent needs of the area due to environmental degradation. My next action was to investigate the abandonment of this road since its original construction in 1976. In the course of this inquiry, I observed that Lot 1 of the Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia road project had been captured in the national budget of 2019. However, Lot 1 of the road as captured in the budget only allowed for the reconstruction to start from Ohafia axis instead of Umuahia. This meant that the people of Bende would have to endure some more years of hardship and many more perilous travels to and from Umuahia, while waiting for the Ohafia axis of the road to be completed.
“Unwilling to wait that long, I swung into action, intensely lobbying for a second contract to be awarded for reconstruction to start from Umuahia axis. This led to series of meetings between the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola and I on November 30, 2019, December 4, 2019, January 9, 2020, January 29, 2020 and January 30, 2020. The outcome of these persistent engagements was an agreement with the Ministry that work would commence on the Umuahia-Bende axis of the road immediately after a good report from the State Director Engr. Nwankwo (now retired) was received by the office of the Honourable Minister confirming the hardships that Bende people were enduring due to the bad road. It was also at the meeting of January 30, 2020 that the sorry state of other roads in Bende were discussed resulting in the government’s commitment to swiftly intervene.
“At the same time, I was also lobbying the management of FERMA as well as my brothers, the Chairman of the House Committee on Works and the Chairman of the House Committee on FERMA, for general maintenance to be carried out on the Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia road. This of course includes my letters of 24 September, 2019 and 16 October, 2019.
“Thankfully, I enjoyed the full cooperation and commitments of Hon. Minister Fashola who has become a true friend to ndi Bende. I am grateful that he matched his words with action because at the FEC meeting on September 24, 2020, the Honourable Minister of Works passionately presented the case of ndi Bende as if it were his own community and, on that day, the FEC gave their approval for the rehabilitation to commence from the Umuahia axis of the road valued at N12.08bn to span a distance of 45km.
“I must accord special thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari; the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu; the Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Kalu; the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; the Honourable Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Dr. Uche Ogah; my dear brothers and colleagues in the House, Hon. Bichi, Chairman Works Committee and Hon. Bamisile, Chairman FERMA Committee; and the Managing Director of FERMA.
“I must also appreciate my brothers, Hon. Sam Onuigbo and Hon. Uko Nkole, the respective representatives of the equally affected Ikwuano-Umuahia and Arochukwu-Ohafia federal constituencies for their synergy and cooperation in securing the federal government intervention on the Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia road.
“Of course, I remain grateful to you, Ndi Bende. For it has been your unalloyed support and faith in my leadership that has fueled my drive to fight for these projects.
“I assure you that work will start soon on the road including a few kilometres on the Etitiulo Itumbuzor road to add to what the Distinguished Senator and Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr Kalu is already doing.
“I acknowledge the respective contractors for the Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia road and the Bende-Etitiulo road, Messrs. P2E Technologies Ltd and Messrs. Thomcom Global Ltd who will be commencing work soon. I am optimistic that they will apply diligence to deliver a good job.
“I reiterate my commitment to the economic emancipation of Bende Federal Constituency”.
