Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, has called on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to urgently intervene in controlling erosion menace ravaging parts of the state.
Governor Otti also urged the intervention agency to complete all abandoned projects it had embarked upon in the state.
The Governor made the call on Friday when he received the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, Dr. Sam Ogbuku and some Directors of the Commission who paid him a working visit.
Ogbuku told Governor Otti that he and his team were in Abia for the commissioning of the Aqua Culture Training Center in Umuahia and deemed it necessary to visit him.
The Governor thanked Ogbuku and his team for their visit and congratulated the NDDC’s Chief Executive Officer for his appointment and subsequent confirmation.
He used the opportunity to draw the attention of the NDDC boss to some of the Commission’s uncompleted projects in the State and the problem of erosion ravaging some parts of the State.
“In Abia we have a lot of challenges. The major ones are in few places like Aba, Umuahia, Isuikwuato and Umunneochi area – erosion,” Governor Otti stated.
He informed the NDDC executives of how erosion, in Ovom, a community in Aba, had cut a road into two, creating massive gully which led to the collapse of buildings in the area.
“By yesterday (Thursday), I gave ultimatum that they should evacuate everyone because every day we are losing the road. So, we would approach you, if it is possible, you assist us in dealing with that.
“But there are also a lot of abandoned projects. One of them is very close here and links this place to the Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Headquarters. As at the last time I passed there, my estimate is that it was about 60% completed. Somewhere along the line funding ceased,” the Governor narrated.
He appealed to the NDDC to see to the completion of the projects otherwise all the works that had been done would amount to waste.
Governor Otti referred the visiting NDDC team to other projects in Aba, Arochukwu and Umuahia North which had also been abandoned as a result of the contractors being owed.
He, however, acknowledged the interventions by the NDDC in the state, saying, although the State may not have achieved all but that if we take away the projects that had been undertaken by the NDDC, we would also realise that we would have been several years backward.
The Governor expressed confidence in the capacity of Dr. Ogbuku and his team to lead NDDC to greater accomplishments.
The Directors that accompanied Dr. Sam Ogbuku to the visit were: Dr. Nosiri Godwin – Director Commercial and Industrial Development (CID); Nwankwo Chidi – Director Public Private Partnerships (PPP); Mr. Nelson Onwo – Director Project Monitoring and Supervision (PMS); and Engr. Evong M. Evong – Director Project Management Supervision (PMS).
There were also Engr. Uno O. Uno – Director Utility, Infrastructural Development and Waterways (UIDW); Okpozo Edgar – Director Security; Mr. Madumere Winifred – Director Agric and Fisheries; Frank Oputu T. – Director 2 Agric and Fisheries; Selina Dan Albert – Deputy Director New Media/Corporate Affairs; and Mr. Dimgba Eruba – Abia Representative on the board/Director Abia State.
Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, joined Governor Otti in receiving the NDDC Managing Director and his team.
