Driving through roads in the South-East geopolitical zone has become very worrying especially the federal roads. For instance, the Enugu-Onitsha, Aba-Owerri, Onitsha Owerri, Owerri-Umuahia, Enugu-Abakaliki, among many others are in deplorable conditions.
The journey from Enugu to Onitsha which, in the good old days, used to take less than one hour now takes about six hours. Same for Enugu-Aba and Onitsha-Owerri. Motorists have totally abandoned some of the major portions of the Express road, due to its impassibility, thereby forcing commuters to overuse local roads as bypass option.
In Anambra, some major portions of the Enugu –Onitsha expressway has been turned into money making spot as scores of youths assemble there every day to push vehicles stuck in the mud for negotiated fees on the dilapidated road. Drivers are also bemoaning their fate as their vehicles could sometimes remain in the mud for days as towing vehicles cannot even access the area. Many vehicles, particularly trucks, have had to remain in the mud for days as the drivers and owners of goods being conveyed by the drivers suffer economic losses.
In Imo State, it is still an ugly experience to ply the Owerri-Umuahia road and Owerri – Aba road. At a point, motorists resorted to taking a bypass through villages in Emekuku and Obowo to cut off the bad federal road until the state government did a remedial work on the road.
The road has since gone bad again. A journey that ought to take one hour, now takes two hours. The Emekuku in Owerri North, Oboama Nguru in Aboh Mbaise and Achingali in Obowo areas of the road are the worst portions of the road. The Owerri end of the Owerri – Aba road and the Ulakwo axis have become impassable in spite of the fact that the state government did remedial work on the road some years ago.
In Abia State, the Osisioma to Port Harcourt axis of the dual carriage road could pass as the worst section of the highway as commuters dread plying the route. The Abia axis of the highway was segmented into two and awarded to two separate construction firms apparently for swift execution, but the slow pace of the work seems to have defeated that aim.
The condition of the highway between Aba and Obigbo in Rivers State, particularly at Ariaria Junction, Alaojii Mechanic Village and Asa axis is hellish. The expressway has virtually collapsed in these identified portions making movement undesirable for commuters.
Security agents who have converted these failed portions into toll gates as they extortion money from motorists have made matters worse.
Similarly, the Port Harcourt Road traversing the heart of the commercial city of Aba is in sorry state, just as the Ikot Ekpene-Umuahia federal highway linking South East and Akwa Ibom State, particularly the Ikwuano axis.
The federal government in 2018, reportedly awarded N13.4 billion contract for the total rehabilitation of the highway after years of palliative work by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, but after the initial clearance of some terrible portions the road has been abandoned for non mobilization of the contractor..
While the Akwa Ibom end of the road is smooth, the Abia axis is almost impassable, thus, making movement on it a nightmare.
The Umuahia-Ohafia-Arochukwu federal road is no exception as it has almost collapsed making trip to Arochukwu from Umuahia the state capital almost a day’s journey.
In fact commuters prefer going to Arochukwu via Akwa Ibom instead of passing through Ohafia, a journey that ordinarily should not have taken more than two hours. In fact commuters prefer going to Arochukwu via Akwa Ibom instead of passing through Ohafia, a journey that ordinarily should not have taken more than two hours.
Despite claims by the federal government that contract for the rehabilitation of the road has been awarded, there is nothing on ground to suggest it will be done any time soon.
We therefore urge the federal government to extend their road rehabilitation and reconstruction compass to the South East.
