Indigenes of Umuokpo, Emeabiam, Eziobodo, Okolochi, Nekede and Ihiagwa communities of Owerri West local government area of Imo State, have appealed to the government to quickly construct Umuokpo/Emeabiam/Ihiagwa, Eziobodo/Ihiagwa, Okolochi/Ihiagwa and Ihiagwa/Nekede and other dilapidated roads to strengthen productivity and enhanced better living.
The residents believed that when these ring roads are speedily and solidly fixed, economic activities such as education, farming, trading and industrialization would be positively enhanced.
During a chat with News Echo Community Diary, the people requested government to explore every successful opportunity to building good roads, as well as fix dilapidated abandoned roads across the state, regretting the collapse of roads which they said pose danger, apprehension, pains and agonies, suffering, especially cautioning politicians not to use the roads to syphone and launder public finances.
A farmer from Emeabiam community, Eze Achonwa, has urged government to set politics aside and build the roads in order to encourage productivity, peace and comfort. He said. “These roads are so important, hence we seek urgent intervention by state government otherwise the sufferings of the people of these areas would be aggravated by the steady rain, slowing down commercial, social and academic activities.
Most of these dead trap roads have been done few years back, but due to their fragility and using of low quality materials, they did not stand the taste of time. The money being generated from these communities could help to lift them to financial stability and comfort. “Where are the proceeds from Umuokpo, Emeabiam rubber plantation, sand mining”, he asked.
Commenting, a trader from Eziobodo community, Nneoma Christy Duru, appealed to Governor Hope Uzodimma to do their roads to enable their businesses move on and expand. She was bitter that no functional infrastructure is seen at the areas despite their financial inputs to the coffers of the state which she decried are not judiciously used to develop the state.
She called on the government to declare state of emergency on Owerri West roads especially Eziobodo, Okolochi and Ihiagwa roads.
Also, in an interaction with Nwokedi Kingsley, a native of Umuokpo community, he begged government to quickly come to the help of Umuokpo/Emeabiam, Okolochi, Eziobodo and Ihiagwa/Nekede residents to ease their suffering.
Nwokedi recounted how these communities missed a great opportunity of getting their roads done even solidly due to myopic action of the rescue mission administration of the last administration led by Senator Rochas Okorocha who purportedly terminated the road project initiated and financed by an illustrious daughter of the area, Betty Akeredolu, wife of Ondo State governor.
“Our illustrious sister, Betty Anyanwu, now wife of the present Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi, on her magnanimity decided to tar the roads for us, that is from Ihiagwa down to Umuguma, crossing Eziobodo. The tarred road road which government stopped at the beginning of Eziobodo, from Ihiagwa. She had started rehabilitating the roads, as sand (red mud) was on sight, but shockingly she could not continue the road project.
Reason being that Okorocha stopped the road project and allegedly asked the contractors to leave.
Rumor had it that she was stopped by Okorocha who said her working the roads by herself would demean him”.
“Okorocha listened to gossips of his APC loyalists at Umuokpo and Emeabiam communities who also told him that the ring road by Betty Akeredolu would take away his glory, warranting him to stop the project initially credited to Okorocha, which is today compounding the woes of the residents. That was the end of the road construction for Umuokpo, Emeabiam, Eziobodo, Okolochi and Ihiagwa, Nekede link Roads.
The red mud poured on the abandoned roads, bumps and flooding make these roads a dungeon. As we speak, these roads have collapsed, affecting adversely commercial activities. We are thick rural (agrarian) people. We produce food in large quantity because our lands are fertile. Those from Ihiagwa, Nekede come to our place to buy food items and take them to Owerri, Portharcourt and Aba for marketing, but today it is no longer so because of bad state of roads. Our goods perish because of lack of good roads to convey them to the market. Flies cannot ply these roads now. You cannot even trek it. Imagine a road that is not trekable”.
According to Nwokedi, motorists “now divert to get to Nekede Old Road, following other paths, you enter bush paths, you jump from people’s houses, from their backyards to avoid the Major Road which has totally collapsed. From Ihiagwa to Nekede will take you almost three hours not even to talk of Owerri. At times, motor would break down- getting a bike is hard. The Ihiagwa road is a no go area. 30 years ago Umuokpo, Emeabiam people used to follow Obibi to Ulakwo to Owerri. But since the roads spoilt, we now follow Ihiagwa to get to Owerri which cost us more. We cannot come out again not to talk of carrying farm products. I spend one thousand and two hundred naira to and fro everyday to Owerri. Where Okada used to charge #200 is now #300 or #350. Before it was #200 from Umuokpo and Emeabiam to Ihiagwa, now it is #400. Formerly we were paying 100 to 150 from Ihiagwa to Owerri. It is 300 or 400 today”.
He blamed government for being lackadaisical about the road construction. He said “Politicians of Owerri West are aware of the decay of infrastructure at the area. They are not helping us in any form. They have used us and dumped us. They are just waiting for 2023 when they would jump the bad roads to come and canvass for votes. They had promised heaven on earth with nothing to show for it. They only induce electorate with peanuts, wrapper, t-shirts, rice, beans, onions, tomatoes, indomie noodles, tubbers of yam among other incentives. Some times they give gullible youths #2000 or 3000 each to vote for them in an election leading them to fighting and causing mayhem, forgetting the decayed infrastructure”.
Nwokedi lamented that the Umuokpo and Emeabiam rubber plantation which is the 2nd largest rubber estate in Imo State after Obitti rubber plantation, saying the rubber plantation raises billions of naira annually, but the communities have nothing in terms of infrastructure. They spoil the roads with their vehicles. We have poor leadership that is highly corrupt and since creation Umuokpo, Emeabiam, Okolochi had never seen tarred road and yet they feed Imo State with their mineral and agricultural resources”.
When reached on mobile telephone, Commissioner of Works, Hon. Ralph Nwosu, said that government would complete the Nekede/Ihiagwa Roads at the specific time, affirming that work is ongoing on the road, urging the residents to continue to bear with government who he said meant well. He also blamed the rain and insecurity to the slow of the road project.
News Echo understood that the said Nekede/Ihiagwa road has totally collapsed with the contractor dilly- dallying in completing the road project. The contractors are not doing anything now on the roads.
