In line with their passionate commitment to the improved welfare of their people and other motorists, the governments, Alex Otti and Umo Eno, Governors of Abia and Akwa Ibom States respectively, are set to collaborate in the area of road infrastructure to ensure that link roads between their states are in good shape to enhance socio-economic ties between their people.
The agreement was reached when the Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, paid a condolence visit to his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Governor Umo Eno at the Akwa Ibom state Government House, Uyo, following the death of the Governor’s wife, Pastor (Mrs) Patience Eno.
The bereaved Governor, on behalf of his family and the people of Akwa Ibom State expressed appreciation for the prayers, support and encouragement they have so far received at their moment of grief. He thanked the Abia State Governor for making out time to come and commiserate with him despite his tight schedule, logistics and other challenges, adding that such gesture has been a source of strength and relief.
“According to Governor Eno, the departed First Lady in her short but impactful lifetime, left legacies that she will eternally be remembered for.
He noted that the choice of his first daughter, Mrs. Helen Obareki, who was her closest assistant while alive, to coordinate activities of the First Lady’s office, is a step towards ensuring that all her lofty visions are sustained.
“We want to thank you first of all Sir, for not just the visit, but all the calls and encouragement. As I said 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 her impact, joined me to pastor our Ministry and did excellently well in managing the women and building homes”, he maintained.
Corroborating the position of the Abia State Governor on the need to ensure that the roads linking Akwa Ibom State to one of Eastern Nigeria’s economic hub, Aba in Abia State, Governor Eno assured of his readiness to partner with the Abia State Government in their appeal on the Federal government to expedite action on the intervention on the Ikot Ekpene-Aba Road, remedy defective portion of the Ini-Arochukwu Road and initiate other actions to ensure accessibility of economic- viable roads linking the two states.
“…on the road you have talked about, if there are other roads that we can as two states, collaborate to work on, we are prepared to do that. We can look at the road and see how we can partner to do it because at the end of the day, it is our people that will use the road.
“Aba remains a very strong regional commercial center for all of us. I will see whatever we can do to ensure that our people have that smooth passage to and from Aba,” Governor Eno stated.
The Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, speaking earlier, expressed the condolences of the government and people of Abia State to Governor Eno, his immediate family and people of Akwa Ibom State for the loss of the First Lady.
He affirmed that the far-reaching acclamation of her impactful life speaks volumes and her demise a grievous loss, and prayed God’s comfort for the bereaved family and rest for the departed.
Governor Otti acknowledged the visible dividends of good governance in Akwa Ibom State and encouraged Governor Eno to continue his people-oriented projects and programmes in the State, assuring of the support of Abia, being Akwa Ibom’s closest neighbour to get the roads linking the two states fixed, for the socio-economic interest of citizens across the two states”.
