THE State of roads in Ebonyi state has over the years improved based on the effort of past and present administrations who had invested huge financial resources to ensure its development, reconstruction and usability by both motorists and pedestrians across the state.
But despite the effort by the Ebonyi state government in road construction, some roads both state and federal roads still needed serious intervention, so that they could become motorable especially for the use of future generations.
The first executive Governor of the state, Dr. Sam Egwu contributed his quota towards road construction before he left office in 2007 even as the present administration is also doing same in its own wisdom and policy thrust. Bad-road10 But despite commendations of goodwill from some quarters concerning road construction, what is rather worrisome in the state is the duration within which road constructed in the state often last; it is disturbing and alarming to discover that no road constructed by any administration has ever lasted beyond the administration that constructed it.
Saturday Vanguard investigation has to a large extent revealed that most roads constructed by both past and present administration usually get damaged, destroyed and consequently become impassable and death traps to motorists in the state. Governor Martin Elechi in his usual mannerism to ensure equilibrium or even distribution of projects across the three senatorial districts of the state decided to use both foreign and indigenous contractors to carry out huge road construction projects in the state but despite his good intentions some of these roads are either poorly constructed or poorly maintained.
It is on record however, that the Governor in his magnanimity had embarked on construction and reconstruction of federal roads across the state. Speaking with Saturday Vanguard, the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Mr. Chike Onwe noted that the state government had embarked on reconstruction of federal roads worth over N9 billion even as the Federal government was yet to refund the money to the state ngovernment.
According to him, when the present administration came on board, it began the construction of over 400 km of rural roads which was equally extended to urban roads within the state capital, Abakaliki. “The state government is poised towards the upgrading and rehabilitation of some federal roads across the state; the reason is because whether the roads are federal or state, it is ultimately for the good people of the State.
“The state government had equally embarked on the reconstruction and dualization of some parts of Enugu-Abakaliki expressway; from the PDP secretariat to Onuebonyi Bridge along a section of the Abakaliki-Ogoja road. It is presently concluding work on the dualization of Abakaliki-Afikpo road stretching from the mammy market at Nkwagu with streets lights and other facilities in place.
“Like the 22 km Abakaliki-Oferegbe federal road was reconstructed by the state government with all the connecting bridges alongside it” But despite the effort of the state government in road construction, some major roads cutting across the state are still in a deplorable state. What the state government has basically done is to create both access and virgin roads especially in the rural areas thereby layingproper foundation for future road construction in the state.
The pertinent question to ask about road construction in the state are: why do we have substandard roads in the state? Why is it that roads constructed by every administration in the state usually collapse within the tenure of the administration? Are contractors handling these projects not usually mobilized as at when due? Who in Governor Martin Elechi’s administration is sabotaging the Governor’s effort towards road construction in the state? Why is it that the deliveries of the contractors are usually not of national standards? For as much we do not want to point fingers at anybody, it is important that these contractors both indigenous and foreign are prosecuted whenever projects given to them failed to meet the required standards for road construction as that may serve as a deterrent to others in future.
Satuday Vanguard findings further revealed that one of the major factors that had contributed to poor state of roads in the state is as a result of government’s lack of usage of specialized constructors for its road project. For example, Arab contractors, Julius Berger among others to execute its road projects in the state.
Reliably sources close to these contractors in the state had complained about pilfering of their contractor sums by some government officials as soon as road projects are awarded, thereby hindering both governments and other agencies from adequately prosecuting them whenever there is an apparent failure on the part of the contractors. It no longer news that these Contractors are often used as conduit pipes to support the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP launching especially during fund raising for electioneering campaigns.
Apart from that also, it is a proven fact that the reason most roads in the state collapse easily is not only because of the lack of expertise in the construction of the road but also due to the absence of a stone base during road construction in the state. What baffle both indigenes and foreigners about road construction in the state is the nature, style and the ease with which roads constructed by both past and present administrations collapse even within the lifespan of the administration that awarded the contract.
However, there is no gainsaying that the present administration has done its best to salvage the situation of road construction in the state but much has to be done in the area of its durability, modernization, study of the soil, scientific analysis and use of modern equipments for road construction in the state.
The present administration has its hands on so many projects including the construction of international market, construction of both Oferegbe and Ukawu water schemes, new secretariat and international trade centre among others which most critics are still wondering if they (projects) will be completed before the end of its life span on May 29, 2015. Many observers believe that these ongoing mega projects had hindered the government from ensuring solid construction of roads in the state even as it described the format for road construction in the state as an act of surface dressing.
One of the roads that is still giving motorists much concern is Ogbaga road which has been under construction before the commencement ofGovernor Martin Elechi’s administration purportedly awarded to M & J Construction Company in the state as some portions of the road are in a terrible condition Instead of the state government focusing its resources on the construction of durable rural roads that will eternally benefit the rural dwellers, it is presently embarking on surface dressing of internal roads within all the headquarters of the 13 LGAs of the state.
The contract was awarded to the tune of N100 million per each LGA amounting to N1.3 billion. Many opposition political parties has described the action of the government as an act of misplaced priority; instead of roads to be constructed in all the rural areas in the state, the government decided to concentrate tax payers money towards the beautification of road within the headquarters of LGAs. Other deplorable roads include the road leading to Ebonyi state House of Assembly presumably the most peaceful House of Assembly in the country; the state of the road is shocking and alarming as it has remained deplorable since the tenures of all the Speakers that had headed the state House of Assembly since 1999.
The government should work on the road speedily especially as it leads to a popular market within the Nkaliki area of Abakaliki LGA, instead of concentrating on roads without any direct benefit to the rural dwellers who are still finding it difficult to move their farm produce which include rice, yams, vegetable, garri to the market for sale. Government should look away from being selfish to becoming selfless in the interest of the poor masses whose vote did not really count in the last general election in the state.
For instance, the road leading to the Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ikwo, FUNAI is also in a very shocking deplorable state as vehiclesoften breaks down as a result of its poor condition. Some students of the institution who spoke to Saturday vanguard called on both federal and state government to come to their aid so that the road could regain its lost glory. “This is the kind of road that the government is suppose to embark upon instead of surface dressing roads within the headquarters of LGAs” One wonders why the state government could abandon the construction of a major road leading a federal citadel of learning and decided to spend huge resources reconstructing internal roads within LGAs across the entire state.
Another dilapidated roads in the state is the Abakaliki-Afikpo road which has been under construction since the inception of the first executive Governor of the state till date; despite the progress made so far, the section between Onueke in Ezza South LGA and Abomege axis is in a deplorable state as on Tuesday last week motorists were stranded for minutes before traffic improved even as driver had started thinking of alternative routes to the state capital.
It would be recalled that the three Senators representing Ebonyi North, South and Central senatorial districts of the Ebonyi state at the National Assembly, recently lambasted the Federal Ministry of Works of its inability to diligently supervise the ongoing rehabilitation and maintenance of Abakaliki-Afikpo expressway which had over the years caused untold hardship to motorists plying the road.
The Lawmakers, who expressed dissatisfaction over the poor condition and the slow pace of work on the Abakaliki-Afikpo 66-kilometre highway, lamented that despite having invested N4 billion of their constituency intervention fund into the road, nothing remarkable had changed about the road.
Addressing newsmen during an inspection of the federal highway, the leader of the National Assembly caucus, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu stated that National Assembly members from the state in the 6th session invested N2 billion into the road while the present 7th session also invested another N2 billion making it a total of N4 billion. Nwagu, representing Ebonyi Central senatorial district, said that the N4 billion invested into the road was outside the contractual agreement between the Federal Ministry of Works and the two contractors handling the rehabilitation and maintenance of the two sections of the expressway. He noted that while the work on section two of the road from Abaomege to Afikpo was progressing satisfactorily, work on section one of the road from Abakaliki to Abaomege, which is 36 kilometres, was sluggish.
The lawmaker, who was accompanied by Senator Chris Nwankwo of Ebonyi North Senatorial District and Hon Peter Oge-Ali, representing Ohaukwu-Ebonyi federal constituency in the House of Representatives, lamented that the road contract awarded by the federal government in 2010, was yet to be completed even as several portions of the road had become deplorable thereby subjecting motorists to untold hardship. “Based on information before us, we are satisfied with the present contractor because of the level of work he has done, considering the time you have resumed work here.
And we are also not happy with what happened with the former contractor and we will also urge the Federal Ministry of Works to do everything within its powers to recover that money because that money belongs to Ebonyi state; the money is supposed to be utilized in Ebonyi, they have to recover the money”
