By Ifeanyi Raymond
Residents of Umuoba-Uratta in Owerri North LGA are currently suffering untold hardship since the rainy season commenced and even after the rains have stopped.
The Umuoba end of the road leading to Toronto junction of the MCC/Uratta Road contractors after excavating the earth on the road left the residents and commuters with little to desire.
It was observed that the contractor who seemed to have abandoned work on the road left the condition of the road worse that they met it.
Some of the motorists and commuters who spoke to News Echo lamented the damage the poor state of the road has caused them saying that some of them have since parked their buses or changed routes and called on the state government to act swiftly or risk losing a chunk of Imolites to the death trap.
In 2019 during the administration of Rochas Okorocha, has always said, “we will work on the road during the dry season” which never came to be, leading him to use the road construction, which is a basic amenity in any civilized country practicing democracy, as a campaign front for his son-in-law Uche Nwosu. He had promised that after handing over the mantle of leadership of the state when (not if) his son-in-law takes his seat at the Douglas House, his first or one of first point of duty would be to complete the abandoned road construction running through MCC/Umunahu/Umuoba/Toronto/Ekemegbuoha/Uratta areas. A very laughable campaign tact which never materialized as Hon. Emeka Ihedioha instead emerged the governor from the election even though shortlived.
On assumption of office, Hon. Ihedioha took to same tone as his predecessor clinging to the parlance “we will work on the road during the dry season”. This also was not witnessed by the residents of the affected areas when he, the then governor, was ousted by the Supreme Court in favor of Sen. Hope Uzodimma who was declared winner of the 2019 elections.
Gov. Uzodimma showed some promise when he came in as governor as he started construction and completion of some major roads abandoned by previous administrations. Some parts of MCC/Uratta Road wore new looks, Egbu Road, Chukwuma Nwaoha, Wethderal, Relief Market Roads were all either rehabilitated or constructed leading to praise from some quarters in the state who referred to the governor as “the working governor”.
Lightening they say doesn’t strike same place twice but in the case of our beloved Imo State it struck thrice. Not too long after his immediate action on roads construction in the state, he went the way of his predecessors; “we will work on the roads during the dry season”. Of course this has also not been the case as News Echo visited the affected areas especially around Mechanic Junction/Bus Stop where it is seen as a death trap with four lives purportedly lost in the process.
Death trap indeed
On Tuesday, November 16, 2021, around Victory Plaza after Ebikoro Bus stop, a pregnant woman driving along that road with four of her children plunged into the nearly 10ft ditch created and abandoned by the constant excavation of road contractors leaving the residents moaning in despair and anguish. Several sources said she was in a face-off with another driver on the opposite side of the road when she veered off the now one-lane road into the ditch, tumbled a couple of times with two of her children dying on the spot as they didn’t have their seatbelts on, while she was rushed to a nearby hospital with two of her children.
She died two days later with one of the children leaving only one of them alive. One can only but wonder the whereabouts or condition of the husband and father after the tragic over what could have been an avoidable incident if only the state government had kept to its longstanding promises from time immemorial.
It is only in this part of the world where the citizens praise, laud and extol their government for providing them with basic amenities such as good roads, potable water, quality education, health care and what have you, pitiful!
Residents and motorists cry out
A resident, Mr. Kelechi Nwagwu, blamed the decay of the road on the excavation carried out by the government of former governor, Rochas Okorocha.
He stated, “The road was good and passable, but after the two-sided excavation by Okorocha’s administration in 2015/2016, the road started opening up at a particular spot, leading to the dilapidation.
“People, who live in the area from the Toronto junction, suffer on a daily basis. The incessant rain had worsened the situation to the extent that buses conveying passengers stopped half way or charge exorbitant rates beyond the flooded parts. Passengers passed and are still passing through hell to get to their homes.”
Another resident of Umuoba Uratta, who gave his name as Michael Ikenna, said he spends not less than N2, 200 on transportation every day due to the bad road.
Ikenna said, “Owing to the nature of the road, I had to park my old car. I am now being forced to pay N700 for my children’s transportation to school daily, give my wife N1, 000 to go to work and I manage N500.”
A bus driver, who plies the road, spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bad road had damaged his bus, adding that he spends more than he makes on the bus.
He stated, “The bad road has destroyed my vehicle and I spend more than I make. I had high hopes when Gov. Uzodimma came in and started working on the road but suddenly it all came to a pause. I don’t know if the governor or the contractors awarded the contract are to be blamed but either way the government should really come to our aid especially as we are getting closer to the Christmas period.”
Groups react
The umbrella body of online media practitioners in Imo State, under the aegis of Media Online Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPAN) had earlier called on the state government led by Sen. Hope Uzodimma, to urgently mobilize contractors handling some of the abandoned road projects in the state, to return to site this dry season.
The group said, “The poor condition of some of these roads, particularly within the state capital, such as MCC – Uratta Road, Umuguma – World Bank Road, 2nd phase of Naze – Ihiagwa Road etc and many others across the 27 local government areas of the state is unacceptable.”
MOPAN stated this in a release signed by the Chairman of the group, Innocent Onyeukwu made available to newsmen in Owerri recently.
“We believe the dry season provides ample opportunity for these roads to be fixed, to enable Imolites, especially those returning for the Yuletide, to have a memorable stay at home.”
They said a state riddled with poor roads network is bound to witness stunted growth in almost all sectors of the economy, low investors and crippling businesses.
The group said this is why it is imperative that adequate measures are taken by the state government to address the deplorable, sorry and pitiable state of some of our roads, which has given rise to daily sufferings of the people who ply these bad roads on a daily basis.
“Based on the foregoing, we appeal to the state government to faithfully implement its 3R mantra by embarking on reconstruction of our roads for the overall benefit of our people.”
Also speaking on the issue, in June, the National President General, Uratta Nation Worldwide, Chief Barr. Madukaji Onyekachi, had on behalf of Uratta people, issued a 14-day ultimatum to contractors handling the MCC/Umuoba/Toronto/Ekemegbuoha/Umunahu/Uratta road in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State.
Madukaji said the road had become a death trap, and a deliberate attempt by the contractors to reduce the population of the people of Uratta.
He said the contractors abandoned the road and made it worse, by creating a 6ft deep ditch on the sides of the road.
He said the condition of the road was frightening and endangering the lives of men, women and children who ply the road on a daily basis.
He said “Our children go to school through the road, our women go to their farms through the road and our men go to their various jobs through the road. And there is a 6ft deep ditch on both sides of the road which is a death trap. We cannot continue to keep quiet anymore.
“The contractors should come out and continue their work, or they tell us if they have been paid for the job or not.
He had described the condition of the road as an embarrassment, a disregard to the people of Uratta and an indication that the contractor had failed to live up to expectation.
The legal practitioner said the governor was doing his part by constructing and renovating roads in Owerri, but regretted that the contractors were rather frustrating his efforts.
He also revealed that he is unhappy with the condition of roads in Owerri Federal Constituency, decrying the poor state of some other roads in the constituency.
He said “No.1 Naze junction is also an eyesore. One will be held up there for over 7 hours in a traffic grid lock because of bad road.”
Imo government’s reaction
Speaking in an interview, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, stated that the state government under the leadership of Sen. Hope Uzodimma has doused tension in the state with road construction and commissioning of various projects in the state. “The MCC/Uratta road is under construction but Chukwuma Nwaoha Road is on that major road; it is very significant because it’s a bypass from Umuahia Road to inside the town. So, if you’re coming from Umuahia, you don’t really have business going to Fire Service and so on. You just bypass it. That road has also been in disrepair for almost 15 years; so obsolete, it was completely taken over no longer by potholes but gullies. We did it and realized it.”
The Commissioner for Works, Ralph Nwosu, had revealed that the reconstruction of MCC Road and Ohi/Orogwe Road would commence soon.
Ralph Nwosu stated this in a brief chat with newsmen recently. He maintained that government was not ignorant of the critical state of these two roads.
Continuing, Ralph Nwosu stressed that Governor Hope Uzodimma is eager to complete all the ongoing road projects in the state but being hampered by some logistics problems which have been addressed.
The Commissioner hinted that the Ohi/Orogwe road remains a veritable and strategic bypass which measures 4.2km and cannot be abandoned, contrary to apparent misinformation by a few uninformed elements.
Speaking on MCC Road, the Commissioner sympathized with the residents and road-users of MCC Road maintaining that the operational problems in MCC have been resolved and consequently, serious construction will soon commence accordingly.
In his words: “I want to particularly appeal to residents and road users of MCC and Ohi Orogwe Roads that it is not the making of the government to see her citizens suffer due to bad roads, but I can assure you people now, that our prayers are answered and certainly, in the coming days, earth moving equipments will arrive these two construction sites for immediate construction, also the Naze-Nekede-Ihiagwa-Obinze Road is still on course”. He explained that the phased maintenance of existing roads had commenced.
Ralph Nwosu used the opportunity to call on Imolites to give more support to the administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma in the realization of a new and prosperous Imo Agenda.
In conclusion News Echo calls on the state government to act soon rather than later to avert further mishap especially on the MCC/Uratta Road axis as the residents are going through hard times and untold hardship as a result of the dilapidated state of the roads.
It will be worthy to note that there is a refuse dump taking a major part of the road which forces motorists to ply one lane which can only cause further mishap. No visible investment can take place where the roads are impassable.
