After claiming the lives of two students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in 2021, the Umuahia-Umudike road is still in terrible condition.
This is happening four months after the federal ministry of works and housing, Abuja and the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency, Hon Sam Onuigbo told residents of the affected areas that the contracts for the road has been awarded.
Onuigbo while hosting a stakeholders’ meeting at Michael Okpara University four months ago , assured Abians that the road was to be funded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) tax fund after his painstaking legislative efforts.
Onuigbo further assured that contractors had already arrived to commence duty on the road to save his constituents from the anguish of death and other economic setbacks occasioned by bad roads.
During the stakeholders’ meeting, officials of federal ministry of works and housing Abuja, represented by their Abia State office staff, also corroborated that works had kicked off on the 49-km Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene road, while appealing to residents to cooperate with the federal ministry “by removing any house, shop, tree and other encroaching structure from all rights of way (RoW).”
However, a trip on the road on Tuesday by News Echo showed that only Ndoro to Ariam section of the federal road was receiving appreciable attention from the contractors.
Ahieke junction which runs through Ndume parts of Umuahia North LGA along the road, National Crops Research Institute and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture portions are still in terrible condition, unattended to.
This is despite the installation of giant sign post by the federal ministry at Umudike junction claiming that jobs have commenced.
At Ahieke market junction which connects with several inlands roads as well as MOUAU gate, it was still a sorry sight to behold as deep pot holes and flooded drainages were seen.
Even some palliative rehabilitation works carried out by the Abia State government on the Ahieke and MOUAU gates in 2021 after students’ protests, have also been washed away by rains from the new season, resulting to traffic hold up on the roads.
Speaking to News Echo, a student of Microbiology of MOUAU, who simply gave his name as Nkem, lamented that the road was not fixed during the dry season.
He recalled how two female students of MOUAU perished in accidents on the road in 2021, which resulted to a wide-spread protest.
He cautioned that the students would not condone the loss of another student on the road and urged Hon Sam Onuigbo of Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency to pressurise the contractors to expedite jobs.
Also, a transporter at industrial market, Mr Ethelbert Ogugbuaja regretted that ” na this road dey knock my motor engine and spoil my bottom plate yet dem dey tell us for radio say dem dey work the road.”
Ogugbuaja appealed to the contractors to get into action before it starts raining hard.
When the campaign office of Hon Sam Onuigbo situated at No.2 Aba road Umuahia was visited, he was not on seat to react to the findings by the paper.
But one of his aids who did nt want his name on print assured that the roads would be done as the legislator had already done his own part by attracting the contract.
The aid commended the paper for acknowledging that works were ongoing at Ndoro to Ariam section and urged students of MOUAU and residents of Ahieke to be patient as the legislator was out to change the story of the road.
He equally called on the residents to comply by the federal ministry of works and housing’s directives by dismantling every object on Right of Way (RoW) to enable smooth execution of project.
He reasoned that the non-compliance of residents may be responsible for the delay on Umudike and Ahieke parts.
