BY RAYMOND OZOJI, Awka
Indigenes of Nneyi Umueri in Anambra-East Local Government Area of Anambra State have drawn the attention of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to the poor construction of Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road in the community.
The road which they said was constructed shortly before the end of Willie Obiano’s administration has started to develop cracks and potholes which could be described as death traps.
The people alleged that Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road was constructed with substandard materials in spite of the huge sums of money the state government mobilised the contractor with.
That the said road has no drainages resulting to heavy flooding on the road and deterioration as community dwellers have resorted to patching bad portions of the road with devastating potholes.
Indigenes who spoke with our correspondent, appealed to Governor Soludo to prevail on the contractor who handled the road project to revisit Nneyi axis of the road for reconstruction to avoid further devastations on the road.
Mr. Anikpe Joseph Obelue who hails from Nneyi Umueri lamented that the road has no reason to deteriorate to the level it has because it was constructed not quite long. He said the reason it has deteriorated was because it was constructed with substandard materials.
Apart from Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road, Mr. Anikpe Joseph Obelue also appealed to Governor Soludo to consider the construction of the second phase of the road leading to Anambra Airport while thanking the governor for his quick intervention on erosion control at Metchie road Otuocha as well as the erosion control behind Anambra-East Local Government Secretariat Otuocha and the renovation of Umueri General Hospital.
Chief Ikechukwu Egwuonwu also of Nneyi Umueri said it is surprising to them that despite the huge sums of money allocated to the construction of Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road, the road is already in bad shape not too long after it was constructed.
Chief Egwuonwu alleged that the asphalt used in constructing the road was substandard which according to him, is the remote reason the road is already developing cracks waiting to unleash catastrophe in the community.
He therefore emphasized the dire need for Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to direct the contractor to go back and do the needful to save Nneyi Umueri of impending tragedies, adding that Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road is strategic because it connects the entire Umueri community.
Nnaemeka Obiekwe of Umunnaba village Nneyi Umueri told our correspondent that further dilapidations on the road would amount to destruction of properties along the road.
Obiekwe disclosed that during the construction of Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road, the Ministry of Works came for inspection and discovered that the contractor was executing a shoddy job and directed the contracting company to ensure that the road was constructed according to specifications; which he said the contractor failed to oblige.
According to him, Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road is always impassable whenever it rained. He said his poultry farm has been destroyed due to the deplorable condition of the road. He however requested that government should compel the contractor to go back and reconstruct the road because it has been paid for.
Furthermore Emmanuel Mbanefo, an indigene of Obosi in Idemili-North Local Government Area but resides at Mgbede Umueri said the road in question is not strong enough. That the level of dilapidations on the road at a very short period after construction undermined the huge resources committed to it even as he pointed out that Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road is not a busy road.
An octogenarian, Chief Gabriel Obiekwe Aghadinuno of Umunnaba Ekpe Nneyi Umueri, who spoke in an emotion ladened voice said without mincing words that the road was poorly constructed, adding that it was not up to 6 months after construction that the road became a nightmare to the community.
The 85 year old Chief Aghadinuno maintained that it is of paramount importance that Governor Soludo prevailed on the contractor who constructed the road to return to site because Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi road project according to him was poorly executed.
Mrs. Christiana Igbemu who is a native of Mmanoma Nneyi Umueri, said Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road was done shabbily and there are no roads in Nneyi community.
The 58 year old woman remonstrated that it is not possible to construct a road without drainages. She said whenever it rained, pedestrians and motorists found it extremely difficult to use the road.
Mrs. Igbemu who made reference to Nteje road constructed by Dr. Chris Ngige’s administration, said the road is still very solid after many years of construction but Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road which was constructed barely 3 years ago has already become a shadow of itself.
She said apart from the deplorable condition of Afia-Ama-Ogbu-Mgbede-Nneyi Road, Nneyi Umueri is suffering perennial power outage yet Enugu Electricity Distribution Company still billed them at the end of every month for electricity they didn’t consume.
She complained bitterly that politicians only remember them during elections when they come for campaigns and thereafter they disappear into the air till another election season.
Although she was cognisant that Nneyi Health Centre is functional but stated that they don’t have roads and whenever it rained, they can not go to the farm to harvest food crops.
She therefore appealed to the state government to construct roads with drainages, provide electricity and equally provide teachers at Community Development Primary School Nneyi Umueri because they are lacking teachers in the school.
