This initiative by Governor Alex Otti has been widely acknowledged by the good people of Abia State as a game changer in transforming the state’s public transportation system. Prior to the introduction of the electric buses (otherwise known as green shuttle buses), the transport sector had been chaotic, disorderly, unorganised, and fraught with many man-made challenges, including thuggery, touting, hooliganism, extortionism, insecurity, and brazen lawlessness.
Otti’s vision is to see a sanitised public transportation sector boasting of state-of-the-art infrastructure complemented with a sound civic culture. That vision started taking shape with the construction of modern and functional Bus terminals in the major cities of the state, including Umuahia, Aba and Ohafia. The Umuahia terminal, which had been completed and made functional, was commissioned a few months ago and named Prof. Nnenna Oti Bus Terminal.
The elegant piece of architecture is a marvel to behold, and it sits majestically at the centre of the city. It is the operational base of the green shuttle buses, which are 40 in number at the moment. The fleet is expected to grow up to 100 before the end of the year as the state government is primed to take delivery of a batch of 60 additional buses by December. It is important to note that the Aba and Ohafia terminals, which are currently under construction, would soon come on board.
The coming into place of the bus terminals is expected to bring to an end the disorderliness and chaos associated with public transportation in the state. For example, the rowdiness, lawlessness, traffic and human congestion, and hooliganism associated with and experienced at Isi Gate in Umuahia are now a thing of the past as all the illegal transport operators have been asked to move into the new bus terminal. Petty traders who, for years, had taken over the Isi Gate area and traded on railway tracks are also being moved to a new facility in Afara Ibeku. These bold steps by the Otti administration have freed the Isi Gate from its notorious traffic congestion while enhancing public security and safety.
At the commissioning of the shuttle buses, Otti noted the positive turnaround which the strategic investments in the public transportation sector have unleashed in the state. And, more importantly, he acknowledged and commended the new civic culture that the people have imbibed in line with the government’s philosophy of a new Abia.
‘The public transport system in Abia has changed dramatically in the last seven months following strings of strategic investments in the sector…It is fulfilling to note that decency is gradually returning to the public transport system; the things we see in other cities, especially orderly queues at bus stops, technology-powered payment solutions, and reliable services, are becoming the standard here. The progress recorded so far lends credence to my conviction that fair treatment need not be the exclusive preserve of the affluent and influential; the regular, everyday people are as deserving of dignity as everyone else’, Otti stated.
What is unfolding in Abia under the watch of Otti is not just a transformation of the transport sector. It is much more than that. The thoughtful investments in the transport sector are changing lives, improving the living standards of the people, enhancing social productivity and creating economic opportunities for the teeming youths in the state.
With the expansion in the fleet of the green shuttle buses, more transport routes are being launched to connect various communities in different parts of the state and promote trade and commerce. A boost in commercial activities would ultimately translate to economic growth and prosperity for the enterprising people of the state.
The new bus routes, reportedly, cover Umuahia-Okigwe-Uturu-Umunneochi; Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Igbere-Ohafia; and Umuahia-Bende-Abam-Arochukwu. Before now, the existing routes cover Umuahia-Abia Tower-Onuimo; Umuahia-Aba; and Umuahia metropolis. As noted by the governor, when the state takes delivery of the remaining batches of buses, the routes would be extended to underserved areas of the state. There are also plans to open up inter-state routes, starting with Owerri, Enugu and Port Harcourt.
These laudable initiatives must not be allowed to be undermined by unscrupulous and unpatriotic elements. Available information in the public domain suggests that rogue officials, including drivers and their conductors, are colluding to shortchange commuters by overloading the buses and picking and dropping passengers at unauthorised places.
The bus drivers are also reported to be in the habit of shutting down the CCTV cameras to prevent their infractions from being captured by the surveillance cameras installed in the buses. This is a great disservice that deserves stiff penalties to serve as a deterrent to such saboteurs.
Happily, Otti has expressed the resolve of his government to wield the big sticks on unscrupulous elements who dare to sabotage the good intentions of the administration. The retooling of the state’s transport infrastructure is a major accomplishment of the Otti administration. Abia people must protect and safeguard this enviable legacy from being undermined in any form.
May Abia continue to prevail!
Dr. Nwosu, a public policy analyst, writes from Umuahia.
Email: cdnwosu2@gmail.com
