Bad road: ‘Abia loses N3bn farm produce every year’

A former governor of Abia State, Senator Theodore Orji, has disclosed that farmers in Abia State lose produce worth N3billion to bad roads every year.
The Senator, who represents Abia Central Senatorial zone, said the loss could be attributed to the porous state of the only road that connects Abia State with Akwa Ibom State, saying he had called the attention of the Federal Government to it.
“I contacted the Federal Road Management Agency, and the Minister of Works, who inspected the road, and promised they were not going to fix the road now but would carry out a palliative measure,” he said.
Contrary to the call by the Concerned Citizens of Nigeria on the Federal Government to prosecute Senator Orji over alleged N2.6bn misappropriation, the lawmaker insisted that such an allegation was baseless.
He added that the reason for being silent on the allegations was to conduct and conclude a comprehensive search with the Corporate Affairs Commission to ascertain the true status of this so-called association, in order to enforce his civil right.
“We thought this approach sensible as we believe that it will put an end to false petitions of misappropriation against me to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by a group, to bring my political image and integrity to disrepute,” he said.
Meanwhile, Orji, who is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, has donated 1,000 cans of modern fertiliser to farmers in his zone.
He said, “Over 65 per cent of the residents of Abia State are farmers. Farmers in Isiala-Ngwa North and South meet the enormous pineapple needs of the state. All the six local government areas in the state are agrarian, capable of feeding the state and beyond.
“In infrastructure, we had facilitated the rehabilitation of the Umuahia–Ikoto Ekpene road and constructed roads in the constituency, including Atta/Emeke/Nkporo; Umuakanu road in Emenke Ibeku community, Umuahia North, and Umuagu road, with a link bridge in progress.”
According to him, many communities have been connected to the national grid, including the Ahiaba Okpala, Isiala Mvosi – Amagu communities, all in Isiala Ngwa South, and another in Umudike, in Umuahia.