Akwa Ibom, Abia States Forge Collaboration To Fix Link Road
Akwa Ibom and Abia States have pledged to jointly initiate moves to fix the roads linking them as part of efforts to boost existing economic ties between their people.
The understanding was reached during a condolence visit by the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, to his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Governor Umo Eno in Uyo, following the demise of the First Lady, Pastor (Mrs.) Patience Eno.
Governor Umo Eno, expressed the appreciation of his immediate family and the entire Akwa Ibom people for the condolence and support bestowed on them in their season of grief, especially by personally visiting logistics challenges, adding that the kindness received has been a source of strength.
According to Governor Eno, the departed First Lady in her short but impactful lifetime, had left legacies that she will eternally be remembered for.
He noted that the choice of his first daughter, Mrs. Helen Obareki, who was her closest assistant while alive, to coordinate activities of the First Lady’s office, is a step to ensuring that all her lofty visions are sustained.
“We want to thank you first of all Sir, for not just the visit, but all the calls and encouragement. As I said to people, the loss of my wife is a lifetime loss. We courted for two years, and we have been married for 38 years.
“So forty years is not something one can easily forget. It is like half of me is gone, but she was an accomplished woman. She made her impact, joined me to pastor our Ministry and did excellently well in managing the women and building homes,” he maintained.
Eno assured of his readiness to partner with the Abia State Government in their appeal to the Federal government to expedite action on the intervention on the Ikot Ekpene-Aba Road, remedy defective portion of the Ini-Arochukwu Road and initiate other actions to ensure accessibility of economic- viable roads linking the two states.
“For the road you have talked about, if there are other roads that we can as two states collaborate to work on, we are prepared to do that. We can look at the road and see how we can partner to do it because, at the end of the day, it is our people who will use the road.
“Aba remains a very strong regional commercial centre for all of us. I will see whatever we can do to ensure that our people have that smooth passage to and from Aba,” Governor Eno stated.
The Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, speaking earlier, expressed the condolences of the government and people of Abia State to Governor Eno, his immediate family and the people of Akwa Ibom State for the loss of the First Lady.
He affirmed that the far-reaching acclamation of her impactful life speaks volumes and her demise a grievous loss, and prayed for God’s comfort for the bereaved family and rest for the departed.
Governor Otti acknowledged the visible dividends of good governance in Akwa Ibom State and urged Governor Eno to continue his people-oriented projects and programmes in the State, assuring of the support of Abia, being Akwa Ibom’s closest neighbour to get the roads linking the two states fixed, for the socio-economic interest of citizens across the two states.
The Ikot Ekpene-Aba road linking the two states has been in a deplorable condition over the years and has threatened the thriving commercial activities among them business travellers spend long hours in a distance that used to take less than two hours.
Akwa Ibom, Abia States Forge Collaboration To Fix Link Road is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
