Infrastructure: Arondizuogu Nation Decries Bad Road Network, Calls For Urgent Help

ThankGod Emeh.

The people of Arondizuogu in Ideato North local government of Imo state has decried the deplorable state of their Oba-Arondizuogu-Okigwe road estimated at over 50 kilometers while calling on the state and federal governments to come to their urgent aid.

The people of the area who took to the streets and roads in the locality with placards on Saturday May 7, 2022 stressed that the roads are typical death traps that have not only cut them off their comparative economic advantages but have led to avoidable deaths of Arondizuogu indigenes and visitors.

Chanting anger-songs with bold inscriptions of “Fix the Road and Stop the Robbery”, “Save Our Soul”, “Government Our Last Hope”, “Fix the Road and Stop the Rape” among others on their placards at Ikpaeze-Uno, Ndiejezie, Ndimoko down to Ikpaora bad spots, the dissatisfied youths and people of Arondizuogu town expressed their anger over the way the Roudo Construction and Engineering Company owned by Tony Chukwu shabbily executed and abandoned the 12 Billion funded project while pleading with both state and federal governments of the day to do the needful and save them from continual loss.

Consequently, a Community developmental organization in the area, the Arondizuogu Patriotic Union has countlessly written the Owner and management of Roudo Construction and Engineering Nigeria Limited, Tony Chukwu precisely on October 6, 2021 to return to site as well as the member representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, Hon. Pascal Obi on February 20, 2021 for urgent intervention but all to no avail.

Decrying the bad state of the Okigwe Arondizuogu road linking Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra and Abia states respectively, the Traditional Ruler of Iheme Autonomous community, and Chairman Arondizuogu Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Cosman Ndubuisi Kanu said it is high time, the government came to their rescue and grant them a sense of belonging.

Eze Cosman Ndubuisi Kanu

Eze Kanu said “it is so unfortunate to gather records of what the government ought know better and it is impossible for all and sundry to make use of the road”

A conncerned actress and entrepreneur in the area, Adaku Dike who also narrated the ugly experience of both the host Communities as well as commuters along the road, said the road has been a den of kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and all worth not on daily basis.

Actress Adaku Dike

“The people of Arondizuogu are mostly farmers so most of these farmers cannot go to their farms, can’t harvest their farm produce or even sell their products because of the ugly encounter using the road”

Actress Adaku stressed how people are being humiliated on the road and appealed to well meaning Nigerians, the state and federal governments to revisit the site and bring back the joy of the people across the locality adding that “the situation is beyond the people”

Similarly, a youth leader in Ikpeze-Uno Arondizuogu, Comrade Daniel Ukwu who emphasized the economic backdrop caused by the dilapidated road said the road has been a deathtrap to the people for over 15 years.

Comrade Daniel Ukwu

Comrade Daniel expressed sadness that major economic activities of Arondizuogu people have been grounded leading to hardship across the land.

“Because of the bad roads, women and people can no longer go out to sell their goods or even travel easily”

“We are not happy but crying concerning this road. It is a federal road and for the past 15 years, we have been suffering and as as rainy season is about to start, the road becomes more impassable for the Community and passersby.

Another indigene and constant road user, Barrister Emeka Ezeoke narrated that a lot of people have been attacked and killed, while the ladies are being robbed and raped on the Oba/Arondizuogu/Okigwe road on daily basis due to the bad road Network.

Barrister Emeka Ezeoke

Barrister Ezeoke traced the major cause of the current bad state of the 50 kilometer road to have started when the last contractor, Roudo Construction and Engineering Nigeria Limited excavated the whole previous surface of the road and reconstructed it but the road collapsed about 3 months after construction, stressing that the road has continued to break down.

He called on the federal government to rescue the people to save them stress and risk of plying a road of 20 minutes drive from Okigwe to Oba junction for more than 3 hours now.

A road user, Hon. Timothy Kanu emphasized that the bad state of the road has lasted for over 5 years, regretting that even the last 2 years awarding and reconstruction of the road by NDDC did not help matters at all.

Hon. Timothy Kanu

Hon. Kanu added that plying the road is somewhat suicide mission despite the time of the day because of the level of insecurity and banditry along the road, noting that the rainy season even worsens the situation.

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