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Reprieve came the way of Aro residents in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia North as Senator Orji Uzor Kalu on Monday commissioned two major communal link roads which he facilitated.
They form part of the 53 road projects facilited by the Senate Chief Whip to rural communities in Abia North, some of which were recently inaugurated by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
Residents who lauded the asphalted 2-kilometre, 3-kilometre interlink roads said it was neglected for 30 years, with dire impact on communities within the axis.
Addressing a jubilant crowd during the commissioning ceremony, Kalu said the road ought to have been built during his tenure as governor between 1999 and 2007, but for the paucity of funds.
He praised President Muhammadu Buhari for the full implementation of the nation’s budget and for acceding to his request to pay special attention to Abia North as a reward for voting massively for him during the 2019 presidential election.
“I thank President Buhari for making the realisation of these projects possible. Abia North voted massively for President Buhari and now they are reaping its dividends. There is a saying that it will take a long distance to get to Aro, but I will make it nearer when I’m done with the number of road projects which I will facilitate in this town. The truth is President Buhari is the brain behind the funding of these projects through the sovereign wealth fund.
“The narrative that President Buhari dislikes the Igbo is false because these projects were made possible through him, so he is a great man. For the first time in the history of this country under President Buhari’s dispensation our nation’s budget runs a complete cycle at 99 per cent and he has ensured that every penny is released for implementation in the various sectors of our economy.
“This road is just the beginning because we have more projects for Arochukwu in this year’s budget. Politics aside, I have a personal relationship with President Buhari for over 30 years , after the 2019 general elections I met with President Buhari and I told him that he must compensate Abia-North for voting massively for him because it is on record that Abia North Senatorial zone is the only zone in the South East and South South that gave Buhari 68 per cent votes in the 2019 general elections.”
Shedding more light on the state of other uncompleted roads in the community, Kalu, a first time senator, explained that the Arochukwu to Ihechiowa roads hasn’t been completed due to the death of a former contractor who was initially awarded the road by the Federal Government. He said this made it difficult for the project to be re-awarded to a new contractor. He, however, disclosed that he had serious discussions with the Minister for Works, Babatunde Fashola to resolve the matter to expedite the construction.
Residents heaped praises on Kalu and President Buhari, saying Kalu had made them to realise that the legislatures had capacity to facilitate infrastructural projects in their constituencies.
House of Representative aspirant, Daniel Okeke said: “We never knew senators can build roads and also facilitate other key developmental projects; but we have a senator who has built roads. Rest assured that your votes in Arochukwu are secured, just go and rest because we are solidly behind you.”
