The Abia state government has denied report that it arrested
some youth and elders who were invited for a peace talk.
Alex Otti, the governor of Abia, was reported to have
arrested some youth and elders invited for peace talk over the construction of
Port Harcourt-Aba road.
It was reported on social media that the youth and elders of
a particular clan in the state barricaded the construction site “seeking
settlement”.
They were said to have been invited by the governor to have
a peace talk but were arrested, and the construction company ordered to
continue with the project.
In a statement on Monday, Dodoh Okafor, senior special
assistant to the governor on public communication, said the governor did not
arrest anyone in connection to the flag-off of the rehabilitation and
reconstruction of the Port Harcourt-Aba road.
He said residents of the state are grateful for the
governor’s efforts in rehabilitating the abandoned road after it collapsed in
the 1990s.
“Our attention has been drawn to a trending social media
report wherein the authors, for whatever purpose, alleged that Abia State Gov.
had some young men & elders arrested after he allegedly invited them for
peace talks in Umuahia,” the statement reads.
“The fact of the matter is that governor Alex Otti did not
at any time order the arrest of anyone or group of people in connection with
any remote or immediate event before and after the flag off of the
rehabilitation and reconstruction of Port Harcourt-Aba road in Aba.
“It is estimated that the collapse and subsequent
abandonment of Port Harcourt road by previous administrations cost the city
hundreds of billions of naira in earnings, job opportunities and other missed
opportunities.
“It then beggars belief that anyone or group would wish to
stand against the resolve of the Otti administration to fix that stretch of
road, solve the perennial flooding problems in that part of Aba, and make the
environment business-friendly once again as envisaged by governor Sam Mbakwe of
old Imo State who constructed the road to expand the frontiers of economic
opportunities in Aba.”
Okafor assured residents that the government is committed to
restoring the reputation of the state as a hub for economic activities.
“Governor Otti’s resolve
to set Abia on a new, more progressive direction remains unshaken. He does not
take the goodwill of the public for granted and would continue to respect the
opinions of those who gave him the mandate to lead,” he said.
“Members of the public are especially encouraged to be wary
of the antics of several mischievous characters whose stock-in-trade is to
create divisions that only serve their selfish agenda,” he added.
“We are one people, sharing a common destiny and must remain
united as we walk past the wilderness of yesterday into the glorious future
that is our rightful heritage.”
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