Abia State Government has begun a process to beautify and standardise the gateways into the State with the construction of monuments at all the borders with neigbouring states.

State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, said this at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Umuikaa District Headquarters, Isialangwa South Local Government Area, where he observed the Sabbath worship at the weekend. 

The Governor, who announced to the congregation that the dualisation of Umuikaa-Owerrinta Road that will terminate at the boundary by Imo River Bridge with Imo State was about to start, said the idea behind the monuments is to have a refreshing unique identity that alerts visitors or those traveling through the State when they get into Abia. 

“We want if you're entering any part of Abia State, you will know that you have come into Abia. At Imo River, we will have a monument, we will also have at Onu Imo (the border with Imo between Mbaise and Umuahia), also have it at Umunneochi (on the Enugu-Umuahia-Aba Expressway), Nguzu Edda (in Ohafia LGA), Onicha Ngwa Nlagu (in Obingwa LGA), and we will also have it at Obigbo (border with Rivers State).

“When you enter any part of Abia, you will know that you have entered Abia,” he said.

Governor Otti assured that all those whose buildings and properties will be affected by the dualisation have nothing to worry about as they will be duly compensated by government, a precedent that was set with the six-lane dual carriage Ossah Road in Umuahia. 

He said, “I’m sorry that some fences and buildings would be pulled down. But before we pull any fence or building down, we will pay compensation. 

"If you are in doubt, go and ask Ossah people. We pulled down over two hundred buildings there. But before we did that, we paid hundred percent compensation to the owners, which they used to build elsewhere”.

After the church service, Governor Otti went on an inspection of ongoing clearing of waste dump at Alaoji, near Aba, by the median along the Aba-Port Harcourt Express Way. 

In what has become commonplace, the Governor’s convoy was surrounded by a crowd of grateful and ecstatic supporters, who chanted praises and sang solidarity songs, as the vehicles slowly approached the site.

Addressing the crowd, the Governor said, “I came to inspect the median where you have wastes. It is not good and I said they should clean up the place, they are trying but they have not done it the way I want it. I will send them to come and clean it very well. I don’t want people to be inhaling foul air.

“I also want to use this medium to thank you for how you are supporting your own government because this government is your own." 

He called on the residents not to habour criminal elements but to always expose such devious characters living in their neighbourhoods.

“Anyone who knows a criminal is in his house should bring him out. We don’t want criminals to stay in Aba. We want those in Aba to have something they are doing. We don’t want kidnappers, we don’t want bandits,” he declared, adding that government would help create legitimate job opportunities for them.