NEWS
Gov. Alex Otti Breaks Decades-Long Jinx as He Commissions Reconstructed Omenuko Bridge and 30km Abam–Ndi Okereke–Arochukwu Road, Declares End to Isolation and Infrastructural Neglect in Abam
…says “Today, We Have Turned The Page, The Nightmare Is Over, The Siege Has collapsed, The Jinx Is Forever Broken.”
In what many residents described as a historic and emotional turning point for Abam and its neighbouring communities, the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, has commissioned the newly reconstructed Omenuko Bridge and the 30-kilometre Abam–Ndi Okereke–Arochukwu road connecting Ozu Abam to Arochukwu, declaring that the age-long jinx over the area has finally been broken.
The landmark commissioning ceremony, which attracted jubilant crowds and dignitaries from across the state, signified the end of decades of hardship endured by residents due to the deplorable state of the bridge and road infrastructure.
The Omenuko Bridge, which has stood since the colonial era, had long deteriorated into what residents described as a death trap. With its narrow carriageway and weakened structure, the bridge posed grave risks to motorists and pedestrians alike, while also stifling economic activity in the agrarian community.
For years, the 30-kilometre Abam–Ndi Okereke–Arochukwu road remained in poor condition, isolating communities, increasing travel time, and frustrating farmers who struggled to transport produce to urban markets.
Now fully reconstructed, the road and bridge are expected to enhance trade connectivity, significantly reduce travel time, and provide long-awaited relief to residents who endured years of infrastructural neglect.
Speaking at a Grand Civic Reception organised in his honour by the Abam Onyerubi Community at Abam High School, Ozu Abam, Governor Otti delivered a powerful address titled “At Last, the Jinx Is Broken”, declaring that the decades-long nightmare of isolation and failed promises had finally come to an end.
Describing the projects as landmark interventions with extensive social and economic importance, the Governor stated that they symbolised his administration’s firm resolve to reverse years of infrastructural decay across Abia State.
Lamenting the economic losses suffered by farmers due to poor road access, he described insensitive leadership as “the biggest burden any community can bear.”
“The newly constructed bridge over Igwu River, popularly called Omenuko Bridge, stands as a testament to the resolute determination of our administration to address decades of neglect and set a new governance standard, one that empowers communities and enables prosperity for all.
“Think of the year-after-year losses our farmers had to live with owing to absence of means to move their produce to urban markets; for an agrarian community like Abam, nothing could be more frustrating.
“In the end, many of us went through multidimensional losses as the rich agricultural produce from Abam wasted, young people missed the trajectories of their destinies and our sons and daughters living outside the community were shut out, not by anyone, but for fear of unexpected twists and turns on the road or at the famous bridge.
“Today, we have turned the page, the nightmare is over, the siege has collapsed, the jinx is forever broken.
“The road and the bridge commissioned today will add to the growing list of successfully executed public infrastructure projects in this community and there is still more to come,” Governor Otti assured.
In a solemn moment, Governor Otti paid tribute to victims who lost their lives due to the structural weakness of the old 70-year-old Omenuko Bridge, including families who perished while crossing the Igwu River.
He made particular reference to the late cleric, Rev Dr Uma Ukpai, whose two children died in the river more than four decades ago, as well as Mr Maxwell Uduma, his wife Victoria and their driver, and the 17 students who drowned in 2007 while on their way to an examination centre.
The Governor described the completion of the projects as not merely infrastructural achievements but moral obligations fulfilled, a decisive step toward ensuring such tragedies never recur.
Governor Otti noted that the commissioning marked a turning point for Abam and surrounding communities, stressing that the event symbolised resilience, restoration, and commitment to what he described as the New Abia Project.
He disclosed that approximately 75 per cent of projects initiated by his administration across Abam had already been completed, with more scheduled for delivery within the next 12 months.
However, he urged residents to remain vigilant against subtle attempts to reverse the progress achieved, declaring that Abia has seen the light and will not return to the darkness of neglect.
The Governor also used the occasion to announce strategic appointments within his administration. He appointed former Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, as President of the Abia Leadership Institute, while confirming the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, as the substantive SSG.
In his remarks, the Leader of Abam Onyerubi, Chief James Ume (Ike Abam), lauded Governor Otti’s infrastructural strides in the area, noting that the projects had restored the pride and dignity of the Abam people.
Chief Ume listed the ongoing construction of the Idima Abam–Arochukwu Road and the building of a General Hospital among strategic interventions reshaping the socio-economic landscape of the region.
He declared Governor Otti the sole candidate of the Abam people in the forthcoming 2027 general election and further announced his personal resolve to purchase the expression of interest form on the Governor’s behalf, pledging to mobilise ₦500 million in support of his ambition.
Also speaking, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government and President of the Abia Leadership Academy, Professor Kenneth Kalu, recalled the decades of hardship caused by the deplorable condition of the Abam–Ndi Okereke–Arochukwu Road and the Omenuko Bridge, stating that Governor Otti’s intervention had not only resolved a long-standing challenge but exceeded public expectations.
In a symbolic and emotional highlight of the event, the Governor had the honour of inviting former Chief of Army Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika, to perform the formal commissioning ceremony as part of activities marking his 70th birthday. The gesture drew resounding applause from the crowd, blending infrastructural rebirth with the celebration of a distinguished son of Abia.
For many residents, the commissioning of the Omenuko Bridge and the 30-kilometre road represents more than infrastructure, it marks the end of isolation, the restoration of economic hope, and the dawn of a new era of purposeful governance in Abam.
With the symbolic breaking of what the Governor described as a jinx, the community now looks forward to accelerated development and sustained inclusio
n in Abia State’s unfolding transformation story.