Ogbor community praises Otti’s intervention in Aba

…Hails recovery of Ovom Street from gully erosion

Ogbor community in Aba North Local Government Area of Abia State has applauded Governor Alex Otti’s developmental strides in Aba, especially the recovery of Ovom Street from gully erosion and the ongoing rehabilitation of Enyimba International Hotel, which is located in the community.

Governor Alex Otti recently commissioned the rehabilitated Ovom street in Aba North Local Government Area and environs, once ravaged by gully erosion.

The erosion disaster swallowed buildings, rendered families homeless, destroyed livelihoods, and cut-off residents from other parts of the city.

For the people of the area, hope was lost, leading to the relocation of many families.

For residents who had lived all their lives there, built homes and established businesses there, it was a deeply traumatic experience watching years of hard work being swept away by natural disaster.

An area that erosion turned into a valley has now been restored to stable, motorable plain land, through the proactive intervention of his administration.

For the people of Ovom Street, hopelessness has given way to hope. Tears of despair have transformed into tears of joy. Homes and livelihoods that seemed permanently lost have been reclaimed. Vehicles once trapped in garages now move freely again, and the road once silenced erosion valley echoes once more with the sound of life and progress.

The governor also on the same day flagged off the rehabilitation of Enyimba International Hotel, a proposed Five Star hotel, which was abandoned by previouse administrations in the state.

Speaking on the development, Izu Azu Egege, the crown prince of Ogbor Kingdom, who went memory lane said that Enyimba International Hotel was started in 1973, by late Ukpabi Asika, the then administrator of the Eastern region.

He said that the late Sam Mbakwe, the first civilian governor of the old Imo State, comprising current Imo, Abia and some parts of Ebonyi State, continued with the project till 1984, when the military led by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari truncated the civil rule, bringing the job to a halt, as the late Sam Mbakwe and other civilian governors were sacked by the military.

Egege noted that since 1984, no government has done anything on it. “So, it took Alex Otti, a God-sent governor; a governor, who had a plan before vying for governorship, a governor that has what it takes to lead, to come and intervene and to start the project again.

“So, it’s a great thing of joy for the community to host an International Hotel, which would create employment for our people,” he said.

He urged investors interested in investing in Aba to first come to Ogbor, assuring that their investments would be protected.

“Naturally, Ogbor is well developed and you heard the Director General of the Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) say that Ogbor people have been giving their full cooperation. So, whatever investment you need to bring to Aba, come to Ogbor first. This is where you cannot experience anything like ‘marching ground’, because we are a highly enlightened community.”

He further praised Governor Otti for intervening in Ovom, which two previous administrations failed to solve.

According to him, Ovom gully erosion was a disaster, A lot of buildings were swallowed by erosion.

“Previous administrations visited the site and made promises, but couldn’t do anything.
The palace wrote series of letters to the past governors and when he came.

“You know, His Majesty was the only traditional ruler that received him during his campaign in 2023; so, he has not forgotten and he promised to help.

You can see the development that has happened in Ogbor Kingdom, that will show you that the Governor is from Ogbor community.”

He also raised the alarm that a similar erosion challenge was happening at Akpu Road, which is a little bit adjacent to Ovom Street and appealed to Governor Otti to intervene fast.

Also, residents of Arochukwu, Ikeotuonye and Long John streets, Ovom, in a statement, thanked Governor Otti for fulfilling the promise he made to them in 2023, which was to save the community.

The statement, signed by Christian Nwaigwe and Nelson Iroegbu, recalled how they lived in great anxiety, as they watched the unprecedented ravaging of their environment, businesses and other forms of livelihood being washed away with every drop of rainfall.

To them, despondency filled the air, as virtually every aspect of livelihood was negatively affected-communication were restricted and transition in the area became most difficult, electricity supply was disrupted, due to falling poles and the relocation of their transformer, even water supplies to families were difficult.

They said: “We are here to celebrate not only the early reconstruction and rehabilitation of the eroded road, but also to celebrate our action governor, who has placed the welfare of the people and development of Abia State above every other consideration.”