By UGOCHUKWU ALARIBE, Umuahia

The people of Ntighauzo Amairi community and Isiala Ntighauzo communities in Obingwa council of Abia State, have handed a 30-day ultimatum to the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, over the abandoned Apu na Ali and Iferife road projects linking the two communities.

The people who embarked on a protest march in the area lamented that the huge stones dumped on the roads have continued to cause accidents with two lives lost.

Some of the placards displayed read; “ NDDC come and complete our roads’, our people are dying from the huge stones the NDDC contractors dumped on the road’, Apu na Ali 2km road must be completed by NDDC, ‘We can no longer keep mute over the high rate of accidents caused by the abandoned of the roads by NDDC, among others.

Leaders of the protesters, Adindu Johnson and Henry Ahukanna, disclosed that the roads have been abandoned since 2016 and tasked the NDDC to direct the construction company handling the two road projects to return to the site and complete them without further delay.

“Our people can no longer ply the road because of the huge stones the NDDC contractor dumped on the road. Our vehicles and motorcycles are punctual daily. The stones are causing accidents every time.

"We have contacted the contractors, they have been promising to come and complete it within two weeks, all to no avail. We have the 2km Apu na Ali and the 2km Iferife, the contractors abandoned them.

"NDDC should bring back the contractors. We have suffered for too long. We are giving the contractors a 30-day ultimatum for them to return to the site and complete the two roads.”

In separate interviews with Vanguard, traditional rulers of the Ntighauzo Amairi autonomous community and Isiala Ntighauzo autonomous community, Eze Isreal Uduko and Eze Nwakwue Akpulonu, respectively, said the contractors have failed to keep to their promises to return to the site to complete the roads and urged the NDDC to ensure the road is completed.

Contacted, contractor for the Apu na Ali Ntighauzo road, Okey Nwamu, said that he has no agreement with the community as they gave him no job.

In his words; “Whatever they want to do, they should do it; they shouldn’t involve me because they didn’t give me a job. They don’t know how the job came to me. I have been getting calls from all corners. I can’t be taking calls for what I don’t know. I don’t have any agreement with them, I’m not in the picture, they shouldn’t involve me. I don’t have anything to tell them. In my community, where I come from, the road is even suspended.” (Vanguard)

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