There is an ongoing tussle between serving House of Representatives members, Hon. Chris Azubogu, Hon. Jerry Alagbaoso and Anambra All Progressives Progress (APC) politician, Paul Ezeobi, over who gets the credit for the reconstruction of Urasi Bridge on the boundary of Imo and Anambra states.
Azubogu had claimed in a Facebook post that the bridge, a major one connecting communities across both states, which collapsed in 2018, was restored through legislative collaboration between himself and the member representing Orlu, Orsu and Oru East Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Alagbaoso.
*Before and after pictures of the reconstructed Urasi Bridge attached to Azubogu’s Facebook post
He explained that the feat was achieved when they mobilised the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to reconstruct the bridge.
The post read: “#This is the rebuilt Imo/Anambra Boundary Bridge (Ulasi Bridge) which we achieved through Legislative Collaboration between myself, Engr. Chris Emeka Azubogu and Hon. Jerry Alagbaoso, the member representing Orlu, Orsu and Oru East Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives.
“Our legislative collaboration brought FERMA to the site and today, the bridge has been rebuilt. I doubt if one could have achieved the feat all alone without both of us collaborating. And I thank Hon. Alagbaoso for standing up when it mattered most for our two states.
‘’Getting this bridge fixed in collaboration with a colleague, is also in line with my parliamentary focus which centres on energizing the economy and building growth blocks through parliamentary engagements.
*Hon. Azubogu
‘’We have to redefine Inter-Governmental Relations, especially at the State/State and State/Federal levels, in a manner that will be anchored on sharing development burden to speed-up economic growth. Sometimes, it will take two or more states to build project(s) that will drive their State(s) economy; in which case I want to see our state governments look beyond their immediate boundaries.
‘’Recall that the bridge which was built during the colonial era, collapsed in 2018. Economically speaking, this rebuilt Amaruru (Imo)-(Anambra) Ezinifite ‘Ulasi’ Bridge will strengthen interstate economies.
Come, let’s build a system that will solve her problems,’’ Hon. Azubogu enthused.
However, Anambra politician, Paul Ezeobi, challenged the lawmaker about his claims to having influenced the project, saying he was the one who prevailed on President Muhammadu Buhari, also of the APC, to make the project a reality.
*Hon. Ezeobi
In a statement posted on his Facebook page by Stanley Ike Onwuchekwe and signed off by his media team, titled ‘’Orashi Collapsed Bridge Reconstruction; Hon. Paul Ezeobi hails Buhari,’’ the politician who described himself as a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Anambra State and Co-ordinator of the Coalition of APC 2019 Anambra State House of Assembly Candidates, said he personally wrote to the Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), during his campaign in 2019 to reconstruct the collapsed bridge.
He stated: “The quick intervention in reconstructing the Orashi Bridge is a thing of joy for me because we had suffered so much since the bridge collapsed.
“During my campaign in 2019, I inspected the collapsed bridge and promised our people that I will get Fashola, the Minister of Works, to do the bridge.
“I, indeed, wrote a letter to Federal Ministry of Works and FERMA and did a follow up and today this bridge is standing again as we all can see.
“I can’t thank President Buhari enough,” he said, adding that “What the past administration could not do for years is now a reality, my joy knows no bounds.
“My constituents will indeed forever be grateful to President Buhari and will continue to support his administration,’’ he said.
Ezeobi’s account was corroborated by one Onyeka Igbomoji, who described himself as a supervisor and an eye-witness to the project.
According to Igbomoji, Urasi bridge project was undertaken because of the pressure mounted on the APC-led Federal Government by Ezeobi.
In a statement titled “The true story about Urasi bridge project constructed by the Federal Government of APC,’’ Igbomoji attached a letter allegedly written by Hon. Ezeobi to the Ministry of Works through the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, and wondered why Hon. Azubogu would lay claim to the project.
The statement read in part: “Urasi bridge is located between Ezinifite in Anambra State and Amaruru in Imo State, this bridge collapse due to lack of maintenance and also the lackadaisical approach by the both state governments. As a matter of fact, it led to increase of suffering within this two neighbouring communities.
“In the year 2018, Paul Ezeobi, after consultations, decided to follow up the Urasi River bridge project, being a grassroots person, he knew what the people of this area pass through. Hon. Paul Ezeobi took it upon himself to fast track the process so as to affect lives positively with a new bridge in the two neighbouring communities.
‘’Below is the attached letter written by Hon Paul Ezeobi to the Ministry of Works, his effort was considered through the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, the project received a new lift, it’s disheartening to hear that Chris Azubogu is laying claim to a project he never worked for?
‘’It’s on record as a supervisor and APC stalwart whose interest is driven towards President Buhari’s development strides in the South East, basically Anambra in particular, the Amaruru/Ezinifite River bridge was constructed by the APC federal government and facilitated by Hon. Paul Ezeobi, with the assistance of our Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige.’’
When contacted by 365Daily, Hon. Alagboso dismissed the allegation as mere propaganda by a ‘’rabble-rouser.’’
The lawmaker told our correspondent in a telephone chat that the claim by Ezeobi that he and Hon. Azubogu were laying false claim to the reconstruction of the bridge was laughable.
The federal lawmaker said it was ridiculous for Ezeobi to claim to have done the bridge because he and the President belong to the same party, pointing out that such requests go beyond party affiliation.
He explained that both him and Azubogu, as chairman and deputy chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on FERMA and House Committee on Appropriations, respectively, between 2015 to 2019, took it as a responsibility to ensure that two bridges – one in Imo and the Urasi bridge – were captured in the agency’s budget.
Furthermore, Alagbaoso challenged anyone who needed to make enquiries to proceed to FERMA’s office in Owerri, the Imo State capital, where he said the head of Maintenance would avail him or her with correspondences between him, as chairman of the Committee on FERMA and the agency in respect to the project.
Alagbaoso:“Do not be misled by rabble-rousers with their propaganda. If you want to really get the true story, ask the head of maintenance in FERMA in Imo state. I was chairman of House FERMA Committee from 2015 to 2019 and Azubogu was in Appropriations. FERMA in Owerri can show you the correspondences I sent to them on the project and I put it in the budget.
“Development is not done on party basis, or is it because they are in the same party? APC cannot come and be doing bridge in my constituency. He (Ezeobi) does not know what he is talking about. I do not even know this person; I have never met him.
“There are two bridges I put like that, one is in Anambra. I don’t want to join issues with him, I don’t even know him, but you can confirm the truth from FERMA in Owerri,” he said.
Efforts to reach Hon. Azubogu for comments was unsuccessful as his phone was unreachable and he did not respond to a text message sent by 365Daily as at the time of publishing this story.