From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Civil Society groups, Campaign for Democracy (CD) and Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) have called on Federal Government and Anambra State Government to immediately begin rehabilitation of Onitsha end of Onitsha-Owerri Road, which has become an unpassable death trap over the years.
The groups lamented that the breakdown of vehicles especially heavy-duty trucks also posed a danger to road users as they can cause accidents and as well gridlocks.
In a joint statement signed by the chairman of CD in South East and Executive Director, HURIDE, Dede Uzo, lamented that the portion of the road from Upper Iweka to Oba has not only become impassable death traps but a den of robbers.
“The terrible state of the road has led to an upsurge of the breakdown of vehicles and made the place a hideout for criminals who attack innocent people, injure them, collect their money and other valuables,” the groups stated.
Uzor called on the Federal Ministry of Works to immediately commence the rehabilitation of the major economic road of the Southeast.
The leader of the groups however called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to as a matter of urgency start palliative works on the road given its strategic importance to Onitsha, the major economic city of the State not minding its status as a trunk road.
He charged the Anambra State Government to urgently tackle the road because it is Anambra and Igbo people that make use of the road daily despite the fact it is a Federal road.
He said that the road links many major markets in Onitsha such as Electrical Parts, Stock Fish, Ogbaru Main Market, Ochanja and also the Onitsha Main Market, hence the strategic economic importance of the road.
Uzor also called on the security agencies in the State especially the Nigerian Police, DSS and the Nigerian Navy that mounted roadblocks on the road to deploy their crack squad and intelligence team to forestall the activities of criminals who took undue advantage of the deplorable state of the road to
perpetuate and unleash crime along the road, especially around 6 pm till 9.30 pm between the new Obosi bridge and Oba town.