Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has officially launched the construction and dualization of the 43.7km Penoks-Abakpa Nike-Ugwogo-Nike-Opi Nsukka Road, a pivotal project aimed at transforming the state’s infrastructure landscape.

The project, slated for completion within 18 months, features streetlights and is designed to significantly reduce accidents and criminality on the road.

Governor Mbah, speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Opi, reiterated his administration’s commitment to making Enugu State the premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and living.

“In the build-up to the election and in my acceptance speech after my election, we made a pledge that we are going to dualise the Penoks-Abakpa-Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka Road because we realised from the outset that if we had to grow this economy to an exponential height, no section of this state should be left behind, more so an economic hub like Nsukka Zone. So, all we are doing here today is connecting those dots,” he emphasized.

The governor expressed concerns about the current travel time from Enugu to Nsukka, which takes over an hour, and highlighted the project’s benefits. “We are doing the 3.6km from the Penoks Junction all the way to the T-Junction flyover in addition to the 41km Abakpa Nike-Opi Nsukka Road to reduce travel time to about 30 minutes and make it possible for the people to comfortably live and work in Enugu and vice versa.”

Governor Mbah also shed light on his administration’s grassroots-based development and economic model, which prioritizes projects based on electoral wards. “We are doing projects based on electoral wards. Guess who are the greatest beneficiaries of this model? It is the Nsukka zone.

“You have 102 electoral wards. That means you will end up with 102 smart schools, 102 Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres, over 1,000km of roads since we are additionally going to do at least 10km of roads per ward,” he remarked.

Community leaders praised Governor Mbah’s efforts, with Igwe Asadu describing him as “godsent to Nsukka zone”. Ezenta Ezeani commended the governor, saying, “You’ve proven yourself more Nsukka than any Nsukka man.” Dennis Agbo noted that “Enugu has suddenly become a reference point for transformational projects.”

The 43.7km road dualization project is a testament to Governor Mbah’s commitment to transforming Enugu State’s infrastructure and fostering economic growth. As the project progresses, residents and investors alike eagerly anticipate the positive impact it will have on the state’s development.