Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has said that his government has not been able to meet the expectation of his people because he was focusing on vital federal projects. But he promised to work harder to execute the specific projects penciled for each of the three senatorial zones.

Speaking on Sunday night at the end of his two-day state-wide inspection of projects, the governor said that for some federal road projects his administration embarked upon, it would have completed more than 70 state road projects out of the over 150 it embarked on.

He expressed worry that the Federal Government might not refund the state for repairing federal roads, which, he disclosed, gulped about 60 per cent of the state’s resources.

Ikpeazu explained that the federal roads were repaired to enable commuters cross to other parts of the country through the state. But the Federal Government reportedly indicated that such a refund might not be made.

According to him, Abia South is designated as an industrial hub, Abia Central as both centres of governance and agro-processing zone, while Abia North was marked for agriculture.

Apparently reacting to insinuations that his administration was moving slowly, he said, “Our seeming slow pace in project execution was to ensure the durability of the projects. We are taking our time.”

On the delay in completing some projects in the state, the governor said, “The rains have naturally delayed work on the road.

“All the money for the Port Harcourt road repair/rehabilitation are in the bank; hence the needful is being done to effect lasting work.

“For better and more effective sanitation and refuse management, the latest refuse management equipment, and tools have just been handed over to the new state environmental sanitation agency to effect house-to-house waste collection despite that all the state’s refuse dumpsites are in bad shape.”
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