Ikpeazu: I will complete projects in my second term

Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has promised to complete ongoing projects awarded in the first term of his administration in his second term.

Ikpeazu, in a state broadcast to mark the 28 years anniversary of the state, said his administration is committed to ensuring that every part of the state witnessed the touch of his administration.

He said: “Since our assumption of office for a second term, we have taken steps to consolidate on the successes we recorded in our first term while ensuring that we finish strongly, our second and last lap. I reiterate that our cardinal objective in our second term is the completion of all the projects that we began in our first term while laying solid foundations for sustainable job creation for our youths.

“Mindful of the difficulty in building roads in the rainy season, we have carried out palliative remedial works on many of the bad roads in Umuahia and Aba preparatory to contractors handling them fully returning to the site as soon as the rains abate.

“We are currently concentrating on building new drains and the desilting blocked ones to allow free flow of stormwater to the natural collection points; and as soon as the rains abate, contractors, who have already been mobilised, will resume work on most of our over 95 ongoing road projects across the state.

“Beloved Abians, I am not unaware of the complaints that have been made in certain quarters that our projects are slow and delayed. My response to that is that we are more interested in the quality of projects we undertake than the quantity and the speed of completion. We have no interest in speedily completing projects for accolades and applause only for the projects to fail shortly after.

“Our administration is building to last. Within the bounds of the resources available to us, we will spread them equitably across sectors while ensuring that we get optimal value for every kobo we spend. I have said it before and I will like to reiterate it that no road built under our administration will collapse in the lifetime of our administration contrary to what was hitherto obtainable.

“We do not have the money to be returning to the same project every year. We will rather take time to painstakingly do a project once and for all than rush to finish a project within a year and it will fail by the next year…”