Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections, Peter Obi, has advised the minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, to focus his energy on making Nigeria work, rather than engaging in mischief.
Mr Obi spoke through his media adviser, Valentine Obienyem, in a statement on Sunday.
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Mr Obienyem was reacting to statements made by Ngige that he was ashamed of the quality of roads constructed by his successors in Anambra, including Obi.
“What is most condemnable in Ngige’s attacks are the lies he tells just to bring Obi down,” Obienyem said.
“How could he mention roads such as Abatete-Nteje-Aguleri-Otuocha road and Igboukwu-Ezenifite-Umunze, Iseeke roads and deliberately forgot that Obi did greater portions of those roads?”
Obienyem said over 90 per cent of the roads Ngige mentioned were done in his local government.
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He also said that “though Obi used local contractors in line with his policy of supporting our own people, just like he supported Innoson and other industrialists in the state which some of the contractors disappointed, the majority of roads Obi did, like the Umueze-Anam-Nmiata road, was done by RCC; Anyamelu and Onitsha road done by Nigercat; Headbridge-Upper Iweka was done by CCC.”
Obienyem opted to take Ngige round some roads constructed by Obi such as Akwa-Amawbia dual carriage road; Old Nkpor-Abagana-Awka road; Adazi-Obeledu-Akwaeze-Igboukwu road; Igbarian-University road; Ichi roads; Nkwo Okija; Umunze Anam-Mmiata; and Nkweleezunaka bypass.
Others are over 30 roads within Onitsha GRA; over 10 roads within Onitsha Habour industrial area; the six-lane dual carriage road from Head Bridge to Upper Iweka; Upper Iweka-Umunya; the Nkpor flyover built in collaboration with the Federal Government which can even carry trains; Obosi bypass; Awka road; Oguta road; Old Oba-Nnewi road; Mmiri John road (Ojoto); and Creek road, among others, “for Ngige to see that the roads are still standing like Gibraltar.”
According to Obienyem, Obi always included money for road maintenance in his yearly budget.
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“During Obi’s time, the Umuoji-Nnobi road Ngige did developed massive erosion cutting the road at Uke which Obi did; Abatete-Oraukwu road developed similar erosion which Obi did; the Nimo-Neni-Awka-Etiti road was the same and only made passable because Obi was maintaining it. Today Neni-Awka-Etiti road that he did is one of the worst roads in Nigeria,” Obienyem said.
“Knowing the importance of road maintenance, shortly before he left, Obi set up the Anambra State Road Maintenance Agency with full compliments of brand new equipment. He also left over N4 billion in the Ministry of Works for road maintenance before he handed over. We have the account details and other relevant evidence.”
