The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), the apex sociopolitical youth group in the South East, has condemned the ongoing feud between the media teams of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu and Governor Alex Otti over the Ohafia-Arochukwu Road.
The group described it as regrettable, stating it is not beneficial for Abia or Ndigbo.
In a statement issued in Umuahia, Abia State, jointly endorsed by COSEYL President General Comrade Goodluck Ibem and Publicity Secretary Okey Nwaoru, they said that both camps’ releases indicate that regional issues are more pressing.
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They criticized Governor Otti’s release from August 28, 2024, during the road reconstruction flag-off, which mentioned Premier Michael Ọkpara without acknowledging other contributors.
According to them, that statement is exclusionary and suggests the Governor is only concerned with self-gratification.
The statement reads, “It should be recalled, was the premier before the Nigerian civil war. So it is exclusionary to state, as contained in Governor Otti’s statement, that the road was built by Michael Ọkpara without mentioning others, including during military rule, who contributed to building the road, even though they did not complete the project begun under them.
“Before Senator Orji Uzor Kalu became governor of Abia State, Professor Chimere Ikeokwu, a board member of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), and Mazi Ọchị Achinivu, a Senior Director, who are prominent Aro sons, used their good offices to attract the funds for the construction of the project.”
“Construction began under Gen. Sani Abacha but was later abandoned after the head of state then died in 1998.”
“As an elected governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu resurfaced the road in 2002/2003 and later facilitated the rehabilitation of the road as a senator in 2017/2018 when he attracted the federal government to the road.”
“Senator Orji Uzor Kalu did not relent; he kept pressuring the Buhari-led federal government to intervene in the road. So saying or trying to exclude Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and others like Dr. Ikeokwu and Mazi Achinuvu from the success story of the Ohafia-Arochukwu Road is a disservice to our history.”
