Many, especially those who bungled the opportunity to positively impact the lives of the people, had thought that the reported infrastructural revolution currently running through Abia North senatorial district was a fluke.
Last month, the Senate Chief Whip and Senator representing Abia North, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, proved doubting Thomases wrong with concrete evidence of his commitment to touching the lives of the people directly through the provision of basic infrastructure.
He brought the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, to inaugurate some of the completed roads in Abia North. There was hardly enough time to get to all the projects spread across the five local government areas of the senatorial district.
The Senate President only had time to inaugurate the 2kilometre Nvurunvu Uturu road in Isuikwuato Local Government Area and the 4-kilometre Uzor Rubber.
“Some of the projects commissioned include the Agbaja Nkporo road (7.5Km) in Ohafia LGA, Obi Chima road (2 Km), in Isuikwuato LGA, Umu Imenyi road (2Km) in Bende LGA and Amankalu Alayi road (2 Km) in Bende LGA. In spite of the elaborate arrangements for a formal reception, the Senate President, with his entourage did not sit down in any of the project venues.
Yet, he could not go round them. At the Uturu road, the first port of call, after arriving the state through Enugu airport, Lawan told the people, while cutting the tape to commission the 2km Nvurunvu-Uturu road that the project was APC’s way of rewarding their support and loyalty and urged them to ensure they support the party to win the state and retain Abia North in 2023.
He described Kalu as an asset to the party and a lover of his people. Other projects attracted by Senator Kalu included three Boreholes in Agbaja, Amuri, and Enugwu Nkporo in Ohafia LGA.
Apparently, excited by the unprecedented record posted by the former Governor of Abia State, a Socio-political group, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, admitted that Senator Kalu has indeed changed the narrative of representation.
“The successful execution and completion of these laudable projects within three years of representation by Senator Kalu is a clear testament that he is not in the Senate to make noise but for a serious business which is to better the lives and well-being of his people. “Senator Orji Kalu has indeed changed the narrative and shown to the people that there is more to lawmaking. Abians are indeed proud of him. We urge him to keep up the good work.
“We call on other Senators and lawmakers who have been deceiving their people, telling them that the is no projects given to their constituency to desist from such pranks and turn a new leave by emulating the dynamic Senator representing Abia North senatorial district and learn from him.”
Before now, Kalu had completed classrooms for schools in the senatorial district with furniture, teaching aids and books. In fact, he had promised to go beyond Abia North to build roads in Ariaria International Market, Aba in Abia South Senatorial district.
But within this period, he visited and appealed to Nkporo traditional rulers and people for the inability of the Senate President to commission the road completed in the area scheduled for inauguration alongside others. Indeed, to deliver 53 roads of different lengths across the five local government areas of Abia North in just three years is by any standard no mean feat by a Senator.
Even some governors with all the resources at their disposal, cannot boast of touching lives with such number of roads within the same space of time.
This is in exclusion of numerous classroom blocks, furniture, and books either built or renovated. It does not include the water projects that have given the people of Nkporo in particular and others hope of drinking safe water.
Senator Kalu was also in Arochukwu where he inaugurated a classroom block he renovated in Arochukwu community primary school, and two internal roads were abandoned for 30 years. He had last year, inaugurated the Atani Ihechiowa road in Arochukwu local government area.
Just as the staff and pupils of the Community Primary School were overjoyed with the renovation of their classroom block, residents of Arochukwu, headquarters of Arochukwu LGA could not hide their excitement as Senator Kalu commissioned two major link roads which he facilitated in the community.
According to them, the newly completed Asphalt 2kilometre and 3kilometre interlink roads have been neglected for 30 years, with the road having a negative impact on the social and economic activities of the communities.
The newly commissioned Asphalt roads form part of the 53 road projects executed by Kalu, the Senate Chief Whip to the rural communities in Abia-North Senatorial District, some of which were recently inaugurated by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan. Kalu has undoubtedly dwarfed whatever previous record, if any, of senatorial representation.
Some have confessed, without prejudice, that they did not know that senators could do what Orji was doing because they have had senators before him who did not give them such sense of belonging.
