The Global Executive Committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has urged the Federal Government to urgently rehabilitate and reconstruct the Owerri-Aba Expressway.
The organisation, while commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, for the ongoing intervention on the First Niger Bridge and other federal road projects, said the condition of sections of the Owerri-Aba corridor had become a major concern to motorists, transport operators, traders, manufacturers and other road users.
In a statement signed by the factional Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and the Acting Secretary General, Prof. Chibuikeya Achoakawa, the organisation urged President Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Works to give the Owerri-Aba Expressway urgent attention.
Ohanaeze said the corridor was economically important because it connects Owerri, an administrative, business and transportation centre, with Aba, a major commercial and manufacturing hub in the South-East.
It noted that the highway facilitates the movement of manufactured goods, agricultural produce and passengers, while supporting inter-city trade, small and medium-sized businesses, industrial activities, tourism, hospitality and daily commuting.
According to the organisation, the deterioration of the road increases vehicle maintenance costs, prolongs travel time, raises logistics expenses and exposes road users to safety risks.
Ohanaeze therefore called on Umahi to undertake an on-the-spot inspection of the Owerri-Aba Expressway and assess the sections requiring emergency repairs, comprehensive rehabilitation, drainage correction, pavement reconstruction and other safety measures.
The group said it was not asking for preferential treatment but for proportional attention to a strategic federal highway with significant economic importance.
The organisation also commended the Federal Government for its intervention on the First Niger Bridge, describing it as evidence that critical infrastructure could receive urgent attention when necessary.
The First Niger Bridge, linking Anambra and Delta states, was closed to traffic on September 7 for emergency rehabilitation after vandalised structural components, including bolts, nuts and portions of the expansion-joint steelwork, were discovered.
The initial September 21 reopening date was extended by one week because of persistent rainfall.
The Minister of Works, Umahi, said after an inspection on September 23 that significant progress had been made, including the replacement and securing of vandalised bolts, while the specialised expansion joint had been manufactured and brought into the country for installation.
Umahi also directed additional works, including repainting, installation of additional solar-powered streetlights, completion of CCTV surveillance and further structural assessment of the bridge.
The Federal Government has said the bridge is expected to reopen next week, subject to completion of the critical works.
Ohanaeze said the First Niger Bridge intervention demonstrated the importance of prompt technical assessment, proper supervision and prioritisation of public safety.
It urged the Federal Government to extend the same sense of urgency to the Owerri-Aba Expressway.
The organisation said: “The First Niger Bridge has shown what urgency can achieve; Owerri-Aba should now receive the same urgency.”
Ohanaeze further called for a shift from emergency repairs to preventive maintenance of critical infrastructure, arguing that federal highways should be regularly inspected and maintained before their conditions deteriorate into major emergencies.
The organisation pledged to continue acknowledging government interventions where they occur while also drawing attention to infrastructure challenges affecting Ndigbo and other Nigerians.
Ohanaeze said its appeal was ultimately for safe roads, durable infrastructure and effective attention to strategic federal highways across the South-East.
Ohanaeze urges Nigerian govt to rehabilitate Owerri-Aba Expressway