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| A Road In Aba |
Report By Foundation For
Environmental Rights, Advocacy
A coalition of Human Rights Group
has decried the deplorable state of roads in Aba, the commercial nerve centre
of Abia State, saying if nothing urgently was done to remedy the situation; the
city would face imminent collapse.
The groups which raised the alarm
include Centre for Popular Participation and Local Initiatives (CENPPALIN),
Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD); Save
Nigeria Group (SNG), Abia Chapter and Campaign for Democracy(CD) Abia state
chapter
Spokespersons for the groups,
comrades Nelson Nnanna Nwafor , Godson Ibekwe-Umelo, Esuebio substance and
,Emenike Ogba said the condition of roads in Aba was better seen than imagined.
“Virtually every part of Aba is in a
shameful state of disrepair. One cannot mention any particular road in the city
that can be said to be in good state.
“Before now, the roads we
could consider as the best in Aba were Faulks, Azikiwe, Mosque and East Street
all of which were reconstructed by the government of Chief Sam Onunaka Mbakwe.
Although the previous and present governments did some minor repairs on these
roads, but presently, they have deteriorated almost completely and the rest of
the roads in the city are just nightmares.”
While not sparing Federal roads in
the city, the group stated that other strategic roads in the Aba such as
Milverton, Ohanku, Osusu, Omuma, Port Harcourt and Ikot Ekpene roads were
completely impassable, stressing that this has adversely affected the economy
of the town in particular and the state in general.
“Aba has been cut off from the
rest of the country because apart from the pitiable condition of the internal
roads, all the other roads leading into the city ; Port Harcourt, Ikot Ekpene
and Aba/Owerri roads are all gone.
“It no longer makes much economic
sense for people to come into Aba to transact business because of the bad
nature of the roads which has doubled the cost of transportation and
sky-rocketed the cost of goods.
“Residents of Ohanku road which is
the village of the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu are suffering much.
When the rains started, people were ferried across some of the worst portions
on backs, but now the situation has gone out of hand.
“In fact when you look at the water
at Ohanku, it’s like you are looking at the Atlantic Ocean”, the coalition
lamented while calling on government to do something about the development.
