By Christian Emeka
Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has flagged off the N5 billion Aguleri-Otuocha-Umueri Airport Road. The four-lane road will lead to the proposed airport in Umueri, in Anambra East Local Government Area of the state. He said the road was first major step in fulfilling his promise to build a cargo airport in state. The governor expressed optimism that when all the roads that are under construction in Anambra East and West are completed, there would be greater access to the agrarian treasures of the state and more opportunities would be opened there from. According to him, no fewer than 300 people are expected to be employed during the construction of the Umueri Airport Road. The governor also used to opportunity to announce that Anambra State government had signed on a South African gas exploration company known as Lubcon to work on its newly approved ANWell 1, the state’s first gas well that has been proven to host a large deposit of gas. According to Obiano, the South African firm will be “producing 100 megawatts of electricity from the gas that will be mined from that well. With this volume of electricity, the power supply needs of this zone and beyond will be met. This will also attract investors from other places who may want to set up their operations here and take advantage of the steady power supply.”
Earlier, Obiano had inspected the 40-kilometre Aguleri-Uno Oil Rig Road project and expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work done so far, hoping that construction work on the road would reach advanced stage before the onset of the rainy season. In his own remarks, the Commissioner for Works, Sir Callistus Ilozumba, disclosed that two more dualised roads from Umunya and Nteje respectively would equally lead to the airport while the state government had made several representations to the Federal Government for the dualisation of the Onitsha Aguleri Adani road with an interchange at the junction of the new road. Ilozumba also disclosed that the state had secured approval for the airport project and acquired enough land for its construction while the contract for the major road to the facility was awarded to a competent contractor.
