Abia-born Legal Luminary, Dr. Ubani, Writes President Tinubu Over Abandoned Ikwuano/Ikot Ekpene Road Project

Prominent legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani, has written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, passionately appealing for urgent intervention in the long-abandoned Ikwuano/Ikot Ekpene Road project.

In the letter dated April 7, 2025, Dr. Ubani lamented the continuous neglect of the vital federal road linking Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States, describing its present condition as deplorable and life-threatening.

The road project, according to him, was awarded in 2019 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and supervised by the then Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Fashola. The contract was awarded to Hartland Construction Company but has remained largely uncompleted six years after.

Ubani explained that while the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) once intervened in funding the project, the pace of work eventually slowed down and later came to a complete halt, despite assurances by the contractor of resumption after the rainy season.

He decried the severe economic, social, and security implications of the abandoned road, describing it as a death trap responsible for countless accidents and loss of lives. He noted that the road remains a major link for commerce, agriculture, and education between Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States.

“The suffering of our people has become unbearable. For over twenty years, we have endured neglect on this crucial route. We can no longer keep quiet while similar projects in other regions receive speedy attention,” Ubani wrote.

He appealed to President Tinubu to direct the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, to investigate the reasons for the project’s abandonment and ensure its immediate resumption and completion.

Ubani expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s commitment to equitable infrastructure development under the Renewed Hope Agenda and said the people of Ikwuano and the entire region would be grateful if urgent action is taken.

The letter was also copied to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi.