NEWS
Abia State EXCO Moves to Revive Deteriorating World Bank Housing Estate in Aba
The Abia State Government has commenced plans to restore the World Bank Housing Estate at Abayi Umuocham, Aba, as the State Executive Council (EXCO) directs the Ministry of Housing to undertake extensive sanitisation and remedial works aimed at reversing the deteriorating condition of the estate.
The directive was part of the decisions reached at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti and disclosed by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, on Monday, August 10, 2026, while briefing journalists at Government House, Umuahia.
According to the Commissioner, the intervention is designed to address the declining state of the estate and improve the living environment for residents by focusing on critical infrastructure and tackling activities contributing to the deterioration of the area.
“EXCO has directed the Ministry of Housing to sanitise the World Bank Housing Estate at Abayi Umuocham, Aba.
“The Ministry has been mandated to embark on a number of remedial works to turn the fortunes of the largely deteriorating estate around. The facilities at the estate, including the roads, will be given a facelift,” Prince Kanu stated.
The intervention is expected to cover key infrastructure within the estate, particularly its road network, while the government also moves to restore environmental order and improve the general appearance and functionality of the housing community.
Providing further insight into the planned intervention, the Commissioner for Housing, Architect Chiemela Uzoije, said an inspection of the estate exposed several challenges that had contributed to its declining condition.
According to him, some areas of the estate had been subjected to various forms of misuse and neglect, including street trading and farming activities along the roads, further undermining the environment and the proper use of the estate’s infrastructure.
He said the state government was determined to restore the estate to an improved standard by combining infrastructure rehabilitation with stronger environmental management and enforcement of appropriate standards.
“His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti advised that we make sure we sanitise the place, and that is exactly what we are going to do.
“We are going to beef up the estate and make it come up to the level of the new Abia,” Architect Uzoije stated.
The Commissioner explained that the rehabilitation programme would include improvements to the estate’s roads and the provision of street lighting as part of efforts to make the area safer, more functional and better organised.
He also made it clear that activities such as street trading and farming on roads within the estate would no longer be tolerated, signalling a renewed effort by the government to protect the estate’s infrastructure and restore it to its intended purpose.
The planned intervention reflects the Abia State Government’s broader focus on improving public infrastructure, enhancing the quality of residential communities and ensuring that existing estates receive the attention required to remain functional and sustainable.
With the Ministry of Housing now mandated to commence the remedial process, residents and stakeholders in the World Bank Housing Estate are expected to see renewed government attention on the long-standing infrastructure and environmental challen
ges affecting the estate.