DIPLOMAN TIMES

An Abia State government publication has outlined the administration's position on the Okezuo Abia Flyover and the Enyimba Automated Shoe Company, describing ongoing measures concerning infrastructure integrity and state interests in the company.

An Abia State government publication by Ferdinand Ekeoma described the administration's approach to projects and assets inherited from previous administrations, citing the Okezuo Abia Flyover and Enyimba Automated Shoe Company as examples. The publication said Governor Alex Otti had adopted a policy of completing or remodelling projects rather than discarding them because of their origin.

Regarding the Okezuo Abia Flyover, the publication said engineers from the Ministry of Works inspected the structure in 2024 after signs of failure were observed. It reported that the inspection identified some errors that were not considered to pose a serious threat at the time and that subsequent work was undertaken, with continued monitoring indicated.

The publication said the administration had more recently taken note of what it described as serious integrity issues surrounding the flyover and was putting measures in place for a longer-term intervention. It also rejected the characterisation that the government was motivated by an intention to erase the legacy of the administration that built the project.

On ENASCO, the publication said an audit commissioned after the present administration assumed office found that Abia State had contributed more than 70 percent of the investment, including N158.3 million in assets and N41.8 million in cash, while the state was not listed as a shareholder at the Corporate Affairs Commission. It also reported retained losses of N115.7 million and N97.7 million in unverified expenses as of October 2024.

The publication said the state revoked the ENASCO land title, sought to reclaim state assets and subsequently began rehabilitation and installation of new equipment and power supply after a stakeholders' restructuring effort failed. These claims and the publication's criticisms of opposition narratives are presented as the position of the Abia government source; the material does not independently establish the contested allegations beyond that attribution.