Why I was in Abuja to see President Buhari — Gov. Umahi

The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has offered reasons for his visit to President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

The Governor offered the reasons in a chat with newsmen after the visit to the President on Monday at the Presidential Villa.

Unahi said he met with President Buhari to thank him for the “mega projects” his administration is implementing in the South East, adding that the people of the region are grateful to him.

He said: “One is to thank him very highly for a number of mega projects that he is doing in the South East. “The Second Niger bridge is fast and fast becoming a reality.

“Each time we visit that bridge, it is always like a dream.

“So, we the people of South East are very grateful to Mr. President for this.

“We also thank him for the award of this Eastern corridor of the railway line.

“This is a project that is going to fast track the commercial activities of our people.

“I recall that when I was in school, I used to join train from my state, Ebonyi, and then get up to Maiduguri, where my brothers were staying, for my holidays.

“Mr. President is about restoring that hope.

“We are deeply very grateful.

“But I also reminded Mr. President that one of his cardinal objectives is to integrate into the South East or the state capitals, but in putting together the project through South East that the capital of Ebonyi State, which is Abakaliki, and capital of Anambra State, which is Awka, were omitted.

“And I reminded Mr. President that the South East governors had requested that I write, which I did, but not yet approved to the Honorable Minister of Transport, which Mr. President said he will find out why they were omitted in the first place.

“I am very, very hopeful that Mr. President is going to give approval to those two locations.

“And also the limestone granules to fast track the fertilizer presidential initiative, which has helped the country Nigeria so much …

Umahi performs ground breaking ceremony for N2.6b twin bridges

Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State on Tuesday performed the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of N2.6 billion twin flyover bridges at the Hausa Quarters’ Junction on the Afikpo-Abakaliki Expressway.

Umahi said the bridges, which would take nine months to complete, would be named after Bishop Michael Okoro.

Okoro is the retiring Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese.

According to Umahi, the essence is to immortalize him in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of the state. The governor described the bishop as “a symbol of love, peace, unity and what Christianity should be”.

He expressed gladness that the cleric had given birth to his likes.

He said: “My lord, I have never seen anybody complaining against you secretly or openly.

“It is a major feat to attain and so we want to thank you for the service you have given to our state.

“A lot of people have consulted you over a lot of issues and you have quietly resolved them through Fr. Abraham Nwali, the Special Adviser on Religious Matters.

“We are thankful to you.

“We will name two flyovers after you: this one here and the one we are going to build around the timber shed.

“There is a spot taking lives there.

“We need to save lives and we are going to do it.

“Don’t ask how the money will come.

“It will come the moment it bears Bishop Nnachi Okoro.”

Umahi said the bridges became necessary to help decongest the traffic around the area and put an end to incessant road crashes and loss of lives at the spot.

He said each bridge would cover 500 meters and would cost N1.2 billion and N1.4.billion respectively.

He said: “I have always maintained that the cost of building projects in Nigeria is the highest all over the world.

“And for a country that behaves like that, it is difficult to develop, in terms of infrastructure.

“We have to look inwards at the cost of our projects.

“Flyover is all about cement, chippings, sand and labor.…