Berger pledges early delivery 
Residents of Aba, the Elephant City, and commercial centre of Abia State have expressed excitement over the ongoing reconstruction of Port Harcourt road, Aba.
 
The road, which accommodates major commercial, financial and industrial businesses, including socials, is a major entry point to the city.
  
The adjoining streets from Park Road to Eziukwu Road among others, house more of these businesses.    
  
However, long years of infrastructural neglect affected businesses and dreams of many as the connecting road to this city soon deteriorated and diminished the rising status of Aba.  
  
With the award of the contract for the reconstruction of the famous Port Harcourt Road, Aba to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, the lost hope that followed the sad deterioration of the road was about to be rejuvenated and restored.
  
Aba residents said the completion of the road will be the bedrock of the long anticipated progressive Enyimba City.
  
According to them, they cannot wait for the completion of the major road that connects the city to Port Harcourt and the world from Enugu in the heartland of the East to Rivers State, the gateway to the South-South and South-West markets.
  
A resident, Chima Nwaogu, said with the reconstruction of Port Harcourt-Aba road, it is expected that all the plans and aspirations for Aba, which were elephant-sized will continue to remain so.
  
Nwaogu stressed that Port Harcourt Road, Aba, accommodates major commercial, financial and industrial businesses, including socials.
  
Expressing his joy, a tricyclist, Sunday Ikechukwu Obigbo plying the road said, “our dear Enyimba City is about to be reborn. Thank you, Julius Berger, for the rebirth we are about to witness.
  
Collins Enwerem, a salesman in a paint distributor’s shop, enthused that with what Julius Berger is doing here, the axis will herald the rebirth of a new Enyimba City of our dream.
  
“A new land of opportunities and security is about to be born here on this new Port Harcourt Road, Aba,” he added.
  
Last week, it was observed that work on the main Port Harcourt Road, Aba is almost completed with Julius Berger now concentrating on drainages and u-channels in the area at the Enugu-Port Harcourt highway junction.  
  
Already, business activities are returning on that axis, just as large portions of the road are now being plied by motorists and other road users.
  
According to the contract for the reconstruction of the road, it is a three-lane carriageway with a total length of 5.7 kilometres.
  
It also includes the rehabilitation of Asa Road with laying of new binder and a wearing course of about 1.1 km length with streetlights for the entire section.
  
Giving details of the contract, the Project Manager, Christian Kloepfel, said this includes earthworks and stormwater control among others on both sides of the road.
  
On the project’s success story,  Kloepfel said: “We effectively employed 17 security personnel from the Aba community, demonstrating a strong commitment to local engagement and economic development.
  
“By hiring residents for security, the project benefits from their familiarity with the area, enhancing site safety while simultaneously providing valuable job opportunities to the community.
  
“This approach not only strengthens the project’s relationship with the local population but also aligns with the “social” component of ESG standards, focusing on stakeholder engagement and community development.
  
“The employment of a local indigene as the Public Relations Officer improved communication between the project team and the community, fostering trust.
  
“This strategy helps to mitigate potential social risks. These actions represent a best practice in sustainable project management, balancing operational needs with social responsibility, and should be upheld in future projects to ensure continued success and community support.”
  
Through open consultations and documented agreement, Julius Berger gained the people’s consent to use a designated dump site for construction waste, while ensuring transparency and alignment with environmental and community needs. 
 
According to the Project Manager, the waste was not only disposed of responsibly but also levelled and spread evenly to prevent environmental degradation. 
  
“This collaborative approach highlights our commitment to managing waste in a way that respects both the environment and the local community, fostering long-term sustainability while adhering to regulatory standards,” he added.
  
The Guardian gathered that Julius Berger also carried out some Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to further demonstrate its care for the operational community by grading the access road to the National High School in Aba, provision of seats and tables for teachers in 15 classrooms at National High School, Aba.
  
They also graded access roads to nearby Eziukwu village and donation of food items and toiletries to Ngwa Road Motherless Babies’ Home also in Aba.