Former Abia Governor’s Chief Press Secretary Overwhelmed with Emotion Cried like a baby While Driving Through Otti’s Constructed Port Harcourt Road in Aba

ONN Enyimba City 6.05.2025

PORT HARCOURT ROAD???

Yesterday was our weekly ritual of Sit at Home in Aba. Something that started like a rude joke some three years ago has become a part of our lives here. For the people of Aba, Mondays are now an extension of the weekend. The working week now starts on Tuesday.

Funny enough, it seems we like it. Yesterday evening, I was at Eldorado Events Center where I joined my good friend, the CEO of CELEBRATION WINES to celebrate his survival after a vicious battle with aggravated prostrate challenges. The event was well attended. Mondays in Aba are now days of extended relaxation.

So yesterday, I decided to visit Port Harcourt Road. The "holiday" meant that roads will be freeer of vehicular traffic. I wanted to go and see things for myself. You know, it's always good to see things for yourself, so you can speak with some authority about the subject matter.

Truth be told. I hadn't gone to PH road since we left office two years ago. Well...I had gone once . Sometimes mid last year, I attended a burial at Ohabiam village, one of those villages along Port Harcourt Road. The funeral service was at the Anglican Church of St Jude, Ohabiam. That was when construction work was fully on and the journey to that burial was an extremely difficult one. When I got to No. 1 Port Harcourt road by Cemetery Market on the right and No. 1 Ngwa Road on the left, I took a detour towards Ngwa Road and took another detour on the right through Obohia Road, driving down through old streets and avenues, asking questions till we managed to hit the main road and now struggled to get to St Jude's. It took me approximately one hour to make that trip. It was one gruesome hour, honestly.

So after that, I decided not to go to PH Road again till yesterday when I made up my mind to go. I went in company of my younger cousin, who deals on electronics at the Aba Shopping Center. This boy won't let me rest as he keeps regaling me with tales of the "magic" of Julius Berger.

When the work scope was extended to Azikiwe Road by Asa Road, this boy went completely crazy and made it a point of duty to send me daily pictures and videos of earth moving equipment of Julius Berger in their resplendent blue color. His shop is just on the road. His excitement was palpable and I kept asking him what time he had to do his business.

I got to PH road yesterday. I drove on it from start to finish. I was overcome with a deep and very profound mixture of feelings. I was both happy and sad at the same time. It was a strange feeling, an abnormal feeling of both excitement and melancholy.

Let me start with why I was happy.

I am from here. A son of the soil. Aba is my fatherland. While I may come from Umule in Osisioma Ngwa LGA, I am a son of Aba. The address of my native compound is 61 Umule Road, Aba. When we mention the name of Aba, it goes beyond the geography of Aba South and Aba North LGAs. It extends to different parts of Osisioma, Obingwa, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa West, Ukwa East and even Isiala Ngwa South LGAs.

So as a bonafide son of Aba, I am naturally interested in her development.

I started my trip yesterday from our Umule Road through Faulks Road through Okigwe road, through the Aba General Hospital road and hit Azikiwe road. It was a smooth drive. Roads done by us in the Ikpeazu administration together with those done by Otti combined in a symphony of developmental beauty to make the trip smooth.

My real journey started when I got to the popular junction of Azikiwe/Asa. My cousin signalled me...Dede, ngwa lewa anya, as if my eyes were closed all the while I have been driving. I gave him my phone to record videos for me.

The entire trip blew my mind. From that Azikiwe/Asa to No. 1 PH road took me less than 3 minutes. Then the main trip from No. 1 PH road was an absolute spectacle, done in the finest Julius Berger standard. Honestly, I didn't know when I drove past Uratta junction. This is true. By the time I knew what was happening, I saw myself opposite National High School! I had driven for about 3 minutes and some seconds. I moved down a little and on the left hand side, I saw what has become the ruins of Umuagbai Secondary School, a school I attended for one year to do my WAEC after I left Ngwa High School. By the time I knew it, I was at the Enugu-PH Express Junction. I checked my time again, I had spent about seven minutes, 42 seconds to drive from No.1 PH road to the Express Junction, on a smooth sweet road. It was unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!

I was happy because I saw life come back. As a son of the soil, I particularly looked out for native compounds that lined PH road in linear settlements that had long forgotten what a good road looked like. I saw smiles on their faces. Smiles of gratitude and fresh hope. Businesses were bouncing back. PH road is the headquaters of the business of technical spare parts in the entire South East.

My colleagues who are into real estate tell me that PH road is the new jackpot as banks are scrambling for properties along that corridor. New buildings are springing up and old buildings, long abandoned over close to three decades were being renovated.

The quality of the construction is First Class. Truly, Julius Berger is the Oga of construction in Nigeria.

I was happy because a road project of such magnitude and beauty is now here with us.

As I beheld the spectacle, I smiled. It was a reflex kind of smile. The type you can't control. I also noticed that my eyes had suddenly become damp. Are these tears? No! It can't be! I can't cry naa. A whole Ururuaja? Mbanu!

At the express junction, I did a U turn and drove all the way back to Azikiwe/Asa. I increased my speed this time. The road was free and it took me 8 minutes to drive from the Express Junction to Azikiwe/Asa!

So, if you are returning from PH town in Rivers State and you get to Alaoji junction and do a detour on the right into PH road, you will be inside Aba town in less than 10 minutes, even if your car is crawling. Same thing if you are heading out of Aba in the opposite direction.

Honestly and sincerely, I was happy. Very happy indeed. Everyone who has anything to do with Aba, and who truly understands the chequered history of this road will be happy seeing this project. It will amount to aggravated witchcraft not to be excited. Certain things are beyond politics!

So why was I sad?

I was sad because I dreamt that this project would have been delivered during my time as Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Abia State. I looked forward to taking journalists on a pre-commissioning tour of the road. I remembered how I had planned to write the sweetest pieces of prose about the metamorphosis of PH road. It would have been a defining moment for me. I remembered how passionate my Boss, former Governor Ikpeazu was about this project. He was bent on doing this road. It was a personal agenda for him. The project was flagged off and work actually started. I remembered his struggles with this road. He had done a good number of roads, he had brought Aba back to the path of rectitude in terms of infrastructure but PH road would have been the icing on the cake. The perfect icing. Kai!

Tears welled up my eyes again. This time, I couldn't control the flow and the tears came down in a torrential downpour. I put my head on the steering. By then, my cousin who had been on and on about what we saw noticed my situation and suddenly became quiet. He hadn't seen me cry before.

Dede, he called. Obu ngiri?

Nothing, I responded rather sharply.

I exhaled and sighed. It wasn't a normal sigh. The exhale was deep, straight from the stomach.

The young man was confused. A while ago, I was smiling. How can I be like this now?

I don't blame him. He won't understand.

He won't!

The speed with which this road was delivered is almost unbelievable. One year and some months?

No!

It can't be. Is it possible?

See eh, believe it or not, Otti and his team are fully deserving of their bragging rights on Port Harcourt Road. No one can deny them that! The story of this project will be told for a very long time.

Very very long time indeed.

This is the truth.

The whole truth.

And nothing but the truth.

Ururu Aja

Shadow Bitter Kola Seller at PH Road.