Abia State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the Umuahia–Uzuakoli–Akara–Alayi–Abiriba Road, alongside several other rural road projects across the state, was made possible through the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP)—a $60 million World Bank-powered development facility secured during the tenure of the PDP-led government under the leadership of Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the invitation of Governor Alex Otti is due to commission the strategic 45-kilometre Umuahia–Uzuakoli–Akara–Alayi–Abiriba Road this, Friday, April 11, 2025,
However, the PDP in a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Eric Ikwuagu said the RAAMP Loan Facility which enabled the project was successfully secured and approved under the administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu after a rigorous qualification and due diligence process with the World Bank.
“While we commend the current administration of Dr. Alex Otti for seeing this strategic road project to completion, we deem it necessary and in the public interest to clearly set the record straight and offer due recognition to the administration that laid the foundation for this significant milestone.”
The Statement said the full 100% counterpart funding required by the World Bank for accessing the RAAMP facility was also paid by the Ikpeazu administration.
“All the roads currently being executed under RAAMP, including the Umuahia–Uzuakoli–Abiriba axis, were carefully pre-selected, designed, and documented by the previous administration based on development priorities, road impact studies, and community engagement.
It was the foresight, planning, and institutional groundwork of the former PDP government that earned Abia State a spot among only a few states qualified for this transformative World Bank intervention.”
The Party urged the present administration to build a culture of institutional continuity, transparency, and acknowledgment.
