Senator Osita Ngwu forcefully rejects claims of regional marginalization, pointing to the newly completed Eke Obinagu Flyover and massive federal highway dualization as proof of the South East’s ongoing infrastructure boom.
The Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District and a high-ranking member of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Osita Ngwu, has forcefully dismissed long-standing claims of regional economic neglect, asserting that the South East geopolitical zone is currently enjoying unprecedented attention in road infrastructure development under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking in Enugu on Monday, June 15, 2026, during an intensive assessment tour with the Renewed Hope Media Delegation, the federal lawmaker emphasized that the systematic transformation of critical interstate corridors has effectively shattered historic complaints of systemic marginalization.
Ngwu candidly admitted that while he had previously been a vocal critic who openly accused past federal administrations of abandoning the eastern region, the transparent execution and timely completion of capital-intensive projects under the current executive team have completely altered the developmental trajectory of Enugu State and the wider region.
A major highlight of the ministerial inspection was the newly constructed 350-meter Eke Obinagu Flyover, a strategic dual-carriage bridge engineered to permanently decongest the intense gridlock around the busy Emene market corridor, which serves as the primary commercial gateway between Enugu and Ebonyi States.
According to the Federal Controller of Works in Enugu State, Mr. Smart Okpi, the project was awarded in April 2024 to an indigenous engineering firm, Reinforced Global Resources Limited, and has reached substantial completion, with engineers currently installing specialized expansion joints before opening the structure fully to commuter traffic.
Senator Ngwu highly commended the federal administration for maintaining an uninterrupted construction pace from breaking ground to completion, noting that the intersection-which had historically transformed into an agonizing nightmare for motorists-has now been re-engineered to meet the highest safety and urban planning standards of the Federal Ministry of Works.
The media delegation, accompanied by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Mr. Sunday Dare, also thoroughly evaluated extensive rehabilitation works along the 61-kilometer Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and the highly critical Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
Reflecting on the profound economic impact of these interventions, Senator Ngwu recalled when the sudden collapse of the historic Artisan Bridge forced motorists onto winding, dilapidated rural detours, extending travel times between Enugu and Rivers State to over five agonizing hours-a journey that now takes just over two hours.
Furthermore, the delegation noted that extensive reconstruction along the notorious Ugwuonyeama axis of the Enugu-Onitsha highway has significantly reduced fatal truck accidents, converting a former death trap into a safe, reliable transit route.
With several major federal interventions actively progressing simultaneously-including the dualization of the Enugu-9th Mile-Makurdi Expressway and urgent remedial works on the Oji-Achi-Mmaku road network-regional leaders have hailed the continuous collaboration between the federal government and Governor Peter Mbah’s administration as a masterclass in strategic national integration.
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