NEWS
“WE’RE ALL TELLING THE STORY, BECAUSE YOU’RE MAKING OUR JOB AS MAYORS EASY” — Aba North Mayor, Hon. Timothy Kalu Hails Gov. Alex Otti’s Transformative Strides, As The Gov. Commissions Reclaimed Ovom Road and Launches Historic Radisson-Enyimba Hotel Project in Aba
The narrative of Abia State is undergoing a dramatic rewrite, and according to local government chairmen, Governor Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, is the author of this new, prosperous chapter.
This sentiment was powerfully echoed by the Mayor of Aba North Local Government Area, Hon. Timothy Kalu Iheke, during the momentous commissioning of the reclaimed and reconstructed Ovom Road in Aba on Wednesday. The project has brought a definitive end to the life-threatening erosion that had long plagued residents, marking a significant victory in the administration’s war on infrastructural decay.
“It is like a dream what we’re seeing in Abia State,” the elated Mayor Iheke remarked.
He recounted the awe of a friend visiting from Togo, who was left speechless by the scale of development. Drawing a historic parallel, he noted, “The first [Sam] Mbakwe started it, the second Mbakwe (been Governor Otti) is executing it.”
In a heartfelt tribute to the Governor’s visionary leadership, he added, “We’re all telling the story because you’re making our job as Mayors easy.”
The joy of the moment was amplified as Governor Otti, immediately following the road commissioning, performed the official ground-breaking ceremony for the long-abandoned Enyimba Hotel project. Now reborn as the Radisson-Enyimba Hotel, the project is a strategic partnership with the global hospitality giant, Radisson Blu, and signals Abia’s readiness to compete on the world stage.
Addressing a crowd of elated business leaders and residents at the hotel site, Governor Otti reflected on the astonishing turnaround.
“A few years ago, the situation at Ovom was seemingly hopeless, but in less than two years, we filled a 42-metre gully that spread over 600 metres, enough to contain an eight-story building and swallow it,“ he said, highlighting the engineering marvel achieved with rigid pavement technology.
The Governor laid out an ambitious timeline for the new hotel, promising a 120-room, world-class facility and a state-of-the-art convention centre within the next 12 to 18 months.
“Over the next 12 months, our teams shall work closely with the civil engineering partners to deliver a 120-room facility, one that would be befitting of Aba’s rising stature as a major commercial and industrial destination in West Africa and beyond,“ Governor Otti assured.
He projected that demand would quickly outstrip supply, necessitating an expansion to a 250-room, 5-star hotel within four years. The Governor also took a moment to honour the legacy of figures like Ajie Ukpabi Anthony Asika and Chief Sam Mbakwe, as well as the resilience of the Aba business community, including Nze C. O. Maduako and Chief Leo Ike Okoye, who had kept the hotel dream alive for decades.
Senator representing Abia South, Sen. Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe, lauded the Governor’s “remarkable and transformative leadership,” while the Director-General of GADA, Architect Uche Ukeje, assured that Aba is on a trajectory to become a premier global tourist destination.
With the Aba business community, traditional rulers, and excited residents throwing their weight behind the Governor and assuring him of their support for 2027, the event was more than a commissioning—it was a declaration that Aba’s best days are not behind it, but are
being built right now.