The Governments of Abia and Akwa Ibom State have forged a partnership in road infrastructure to ensure the accessibility of roads linking the two neighbouring states.
This understanding was reached during a condolence visit by the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on his counterpart, Umo Eno, at the Government House in Uyo over the weekend following the demise of the Akwa Ibom First Lady, Patience Eno.
Speaking during the condolence visit, Otti expressed the government and people of Abia State’s condolences to Eno, his immediate family and the people of Akwa Ibom State for the loss of the First Lady, noting that her impactful life speaks volumes and her demise a grievous loss for the state and the nation.
Despite the huge loss, he encouraged Eno to continue his people-oriented projects, assuring the support of Abia and fixing the roads linking the two states for the socioeconomic interest of citizens across the two states.
“We will work collaboratively to fix the roads linking our states for the socioeconomic interest of our citizens, “Otti said
Receiving the Abia State governor, Eno expressed appreciation to his immediate family and the entire Akwa Ibom people for the condolence and support bestowed on them in their season of grief, adding that the kindness received has been a source of strength.
Eno stated that the departed First Lady, in her short but impactful lifetime, had left a legacy that she will eternally be remembered for and the choice of her first daughter, Helen Obareki, who has been her closest assistant while alive, to coordinate activities of the First Lady’s office, a step to ensure all her lofty visions are sustained.
“We want to thank you first of all, Sir, for not just the visit but all of the calls and encouragement. Like I say to people, the loss of my wife is a lifetime loss. We courted for two years, and we have been married for 38 years. So forty years is not something one can easily forget. It is like half of me is gone, but she was an accomplished woman. She made an impact, joined me as pastor of our ministry, and did excellently well in managing the women and building homes,” Eno maintained.
On road partnership, Eno assured of his readiness to work collaboratively with the Abia State Government to both expedite federal government intervention on the Ikot Ekpene-Aba road, as well as remedy defective portion of the Ini-Arochukwu road and initiate other actions to ensure accessibility of economically viable roads linking the two states.
“For the road you have talked about, if there are other roads that we can, as two states, collaborate together to work on, I am sure we are prepared to do that. We can look at the road and see how we can partner to work it because, at the end of the day, it is our people who will use the road.
“Aba remains a very strong regional commercial centre for all of us. I will see whatever we can do to ensure that our people have that smooth passage to and fro Aba,” Eno stated.