By CHARLES IWUOHA

Indigenes of Oma-Eke village in Eke Community, Udi Council Area of Enugu State, on Friday, staged a peaceful protest over non-implementation of a Federal road project in the village for two years running.

The Enugu-Eke-Ogui-Uno-Eke Road spilling over to Eke-Obodo, Amankwo and Oma-Eke stretch was duly awarded to Flab Engineering Construction Company by the Federal Government at the cost of over N400 million.

The Oma-Eke stretch of the road is only 3.8 km.

The indigenes, made up of young and old, displayed placards with inscriptions that includes: ‘Buhari must hear this,’ ‘Corruption Unlimited,’ ‘ICPC where are you; EFCC where are you,’ ‘Fraud Unlimited,’ ‘Public Procurement Act Crucified,’ among others.

Speaking with newsmen, the traditional ruler of Eke Community, Igwe Chiwendu Onuoha, described the attempt by government officials of coming to commission a road project that was not executed as a big sham.

Onuoha, who also hails from the Oma-Eke clan, said to the best of his knowledge he is not aware of any road project executed by the Ecological Trust Fund, not to talk of completion at Oma-Eke.

Reacting, Chairman of Oma-Eke Town Union, Chief Kenneth Ogudu, expressed shock that certain unseen fellows were trying to perpetrate fraud with the said road project, adding that the people would not allow that to happen.

He therefore, called on President Mohammadu Buhari and other relevant anti-corruption agencies to step into the matter with a view to unraveling the truth.

An indigene and Enugu-based legal practitioner, Mr. Godwin Onwusi, noted that the people would not allow those behind such monumental fraud to get away with it, adding that the natives must get to the root of the matter.

According to him, the people of Oma-Eke will not hesitate to seek legal action against all those involved in this matter including the government agencies if the needful is not done.

“Our people are highly agitated over this issue; imagine government officials coming to commission a road project that was not executed in Oma-Eke village for over two years.

“Let them come and show us, or the media where they executed the road project in our village,” he said.

Onwusi, hinted that the people had already petitioned the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Director General of Bureau for Public Procurement in the Presidency, EFCC, ICPC among other relevant agencies over the matter.

He said that the people want the relevant government agencies to carry out a thorough investigation on the highly scandalous act.

“The contract paper was very clear, it said the project must be firm, fixed and not transferable,” he said.

Onwusi called on the Attorney General to use his office “to ensure that the contractor is made to execute the project, or pay back the money paid to him or, show where he executed the contract”.

The indigenes earlier alleged that they got reliable information that there was an attempt by officials of the government from the Ecological Trust Fund (ETF) office to commission the non-executed road project in the village.

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