New Omenuko Bridge: Flagged-off, Constructed, Funded and Commissioned by the Abia State Government.
THE Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, officially flagged-off the construction of a Brand New Igwu River Bridge popularly known as Omenuko Bridge on the 4th day of February, 2025.
Governor Otti shocked and disappointed the cynical and obsessed Abia witchcrafts disguising as opposition who had held and enslaved the State for 24 years, and delivered a game-changer by completing the iconic Omenuko bridge in record time.
The bridge was paired with Governor Otti’s administration’s reconstruction of the 30km Ozu Abam – Arochukwu Road and was officially commissioned for use by the people on the 13th day of February, 2026, by Governor Otti, who designed and funded the construction after the Federal Ministry of Works approved the request by Abia State Government to intervene and construct the iconic bridge as required by law – replacing the death trap abandoned by successive administrations, both Federal and State Governments, for decades.
Both the Omenuko Bridge and the 30km Ozu Abam – Arochukwu Road projects have rewritten history – breaking the 70-year-old bridge’s curse that had claimed hundreds of lives and cut off communities from the rest of the State.
The noise, lies and falsehood by the enemies of Abia people cannot diminish the visible transformation along the long-abandoned Arochukwu Local Government corridor, no matter how they struggle to twist the narrative.
To the ordinary people of Abia State and well-meaning Nigerians in general, “Jinx broken, adage defied” isn’t just a slogan; it’s the new reality. The impacts are clear: easier access, safer travel, and transformed lives.
• Omenuko Bridge is on a Federal Government Road, and Governor Otti, as a process-oriented person, had requested and obtained approval from the Federal Government to intervene and fix it.
It is no longer news that Abia State, under Governor Alex Otti, does not distinguish between Federal and State Roads and critical infrastructure across the State. The motivation behind the people-oriented, and investment-driven policy is anchored on the Governor’s commitment to the welfare of Abians and the urgent need to make every part of the State accessible to achieve sustainable, rapid, and integrated development of the entire State.
The policy accounts for why Port-Harcourt Road, a Trunk A Road (Federal Road), was reconstructed by the State Government, using the construction giant, Julius Berger, to deliver that strategic economic cluster, abandoned for more than 16 years.
After the required approval from the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, work started on the construction, completion, and commissioning of a brand new Omenuko Bridge, the ongoing reconstruction of the Ohafia – Arochukwu Federal Highway, reconstruction and dualization of the Owerrinta – Umuikaa Road, and Onuimo – Umuahia Tower Road, including the recently flagged-off Umuahia – Ikot Ekpene Road.
Yes! they are all Federal Roads and Projects, but are being handled and/or funded 100% by the Abia State Government. Governor Otti understands process and will always acknowledge and appreciate the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for granting the request for approval by the Abia State Government to intervene and fix the above-listed Federal infrastructures within the State for the good of Abians and Nigerians at large.
This is unlike an arrogant Federal Legislator who bypassed process to demolish buildings within a public school in Abia State without seeking approval from the relevant agency of the State Government.
• The Federal Government has not refunded any dime to Abia State Government under Governor Alex Otti for fixing any Federal Infrastructure.
While no dime has been refunded or advanced to Abia State Government under Governor Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, by the Federal Government for any or all the Federal Infrastructures fixed or being fixed by the State Government across the State, the Abia State Government is hopeful that one day, either under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, or in the near future under successive administration, the Federal Government would likely refund Abia State Government funds spent on fixing Federal infrastructures in the State.
It is unfortunate and embarrassing that the newly elected APC Deputy Publicity Secretary in Abia State, Mr. Eric Ikwuagu (Oracle), does not know that all Federal Roads are Trunk A, and Port Harcourt Road, being a Federal Road, is a Trunk A Road.
After reading his campaign essay where he classified Port Harcourt Road as a Trunk B Road, I pitied his ignorance and recommended him for a foundation class in any public elementary school of his choice, across the State, at no cost to him.
The newly recruited public schools teachers can take the Abia APC Deputy Publicity Secretary through the social studies module on the classification of Roads in Trunks, unless his classification of Port Harcourt Road as Trunk B in his campaign essay was driven by mischief.
• Under Governor Alex Otti in Abia State, after the elections, Party Politics takes a back seat and Governance takes center stage.
The administration of Governor Alex Otti does not hesitate to acknowledge any Federal Government Project done in Abia State or even any Project jointly executed by the Federal Government and Abia State Government, just like the Abia Airport Project being executed by the Federal Government in partnership with the Abia State Government.
Governor Otti is committed to collaborating with the Federal Government to advance the development of Abia State as a sub-national.
President Tinubu rode under the APC platform to become the father of the Nation. He is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not the President of APC, as is being painted by a bunch of bad election losers in Abia State who think that joining the party at the center will erase their known records of looting Abia State resources and impoverishing the people.
These funny characters in Abia State, jumping and chorusing the ‘On Your Mandate We Shall Stand’ Mantra, are liabilities in search of an alternative feeding bottle. If they think they can succeed in fabricating falsehood to set up and incite the Federal Government against Governor Otti, they better stop overrating their imaginary reach and learn a lesson from the experience of an aborted Federal Commissioner with all his acclaimed unfiltered access to Mr. President.
• Transparency, Accountability, and Projects Cost Under Governor Alex Chioma Otti, OFR.
In the history of Abia State, Governor Otti’s administration has taken transparency and accountability to the highest level by publishing, for public scrutiny, the quarterly budget performance of the State. The audited budget numbers published at the end of each fiscal year captures all capital and recurrent expenditure with detailed costs of all projects executed by the Government.
The good thing is that the public is seeing all the projects on the ground in Abia State, a total departure from our recent past just 33 months ago when projects across the State were executed and commissioned on billboards.
• Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu and his herd of lying loyalists are singing discordant tunes on Omenuko Bridge in their projects piracy and petty credit-hogging campaign.
In the build-up to the Abia APC State Congress, the Old PDP Wines in the New APC Bottle, bitterly unsettled and frustrated by the National and Global accolades to Governor Otti for constructing and commissioning the life-saving new Omenuko Bridge, embarked on a campaign of calumny in their failed attempt to diminish and discredit Governor Otti’s soaring national and global image as a performer.
Mr. Uche Aguoru, was rewarded with the position of Abia APC State Publicity Secretary for campaigning with the message of dismissing the New Omenuko Bridge as a bridge that leads to nowhere, and claiming, without a single piece of evidence, that the Federal Government has reimbursed Abia State Government all the costs it expended on constructing the new Omenuko Bridge, which was just commissioned by Governor Otti last month.
This is a fabricated lie from the pit of hell, in sharp contrast with the falsehood and fabrication by his deputy publicity secretary, Mr. Ikwuagu, who wrote his Abia APC congress campaign essay with information and data from the Free Readers Association (Zik Ekwuo Nchaa and Zik Holds the Key to River Niger, idle gathering gossips) by Umu York in Aba, without recourse to the verifiable information and data on the Abia State official website.
It is nothing but mischief for the Abia APC Deputy Publicity Secretary, Mr. Eric Ikwuagu – Oracle, to allege and spread an obvious falsehood that Abia State Government wrote-off N28 billion as the cost of constructing the new Omenuko Bridge in his campaign essay premised on his concocted probability, ‘if it is true that N28 billion was spent on the Omenuko Bridge’.
Mr. Ikwuagu’s Abia APC congress campaign essay was written in bad faith, as unverified lies, fabricated falsehood, and obvious guesswork were used and relied on as information and data sources.
The Abia APC Publicity Secretary, Mr. Uche Aguoru, and his Deputy, Mr. Eric Ikwuagu, as partners in misinformation and falsehood, must learn to harmonize their lies before going public. It is an embarrassment for both of them to speak and write in discordant tunes when they belong to the same political party and share the same space in the party as senior and junior serial fabricators.
Mr. Aguoru should just avail his deputy the actual information about how much was reimbursed to Abia State Government by the Federal Government for the newly constructed Omenuko Bridge.
The Abia APC Leader and Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, had no reason to join his data boys in their campaign of lies, falsehood and fabrication since he was not on the Abia APC congress ballot.
He has again proven my brother, friend and colleague, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma right, who once told him, “You need tutorial more than you need the microphone”. Rt. Hon. Kalu (Osisiogu) goofs anytime he picks up the microphone. Why would Rt. Hon. Kalu (Osisiogu) ridicule the exalted position of the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives by joining a bunch of clowns in a circus, and elevating the obvious lies and falsehood of his e-Rats to a batiinak discourse.
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu’s new data boys who joined him from Abia PDP were rewarded with the positions of Abia APC Publicity Secretary and Deputy after claiming that the Omenuko Bridge project was built by Abia State Government with N28 billion written-off for the project on one hand and that Abia State Government has been reimbursed by the Federal Government on the other hand without stating the amount refunded to the State Government, when, how and by who (Federal Ministry of Works or Ministry of Finance).
Whereas their boss and leader, Rt. Hon. Kalu (Osisiogu) made a conflicting claim that the New Omenuko Bridge, flagged-off and commissioned by Governor Otti, was constructed by the Federal Government who probably had pleaded with Governor Otti to represent President Tinubu and the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi during the flag-off and commissioning of the ‘Federal Government Funded Omenuko Bridge Project’ without the participation of Abia APC Leaders including the Deputy Speaker.
The whole three claims made in two different essays by the Abia APC Publicity Secretary and his Deputy including the last one made by Rt. Hon. Kalu in his content creating circus, are all in total contrast to the position of Mr President and the Hon. Minister of Works who are asking and encouraging Governors across the Federation to rehabilitate, reconstruct, and construct Federal Projects in their States to serve their people better and ease the movement of goods and services, than waiting for the Federal Government.
The President through the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has on several occasions given credit to Governor Otti for intervening to fix the Federal Infrastructures in the State to serve Abia people than waiting and blaming the Federal Government for the hardship experienced by the people using the infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the State believes and hopes that the Federal Government will reimburse her the State funds deployed in fixing the Federal infrastructures, so that it can be deployed on other State Infrastructures in urgent need of intervention.
For Governor Alex Chioma Otti, what is more important is that the infrastructures are built, and are serving the people; enhancing the economic development of the State and the nation.
Ctz UKOHA, NJOKU UKOHA, is the
Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Governor of Abia State.
