Some landlords of communities in Itu local government area of Akwa Ibom State have lamented the exodus of residents and tenants from the areas due to flood menace that has rendered their environment and roads impassable.

Some of the affected communities which are close to the state capital include Nelson Mandela, Ikot Idoro, Ebong Essien and Udoette.

Fielding questions from newsmen, a landlord and Chairman of Uyo Oku Community, Chief Okon Inyang who lamented that tenants were packing out of the area on a daily basis due to the situation, however, decried the much publicity on how state government has rehabilitated all the roads in the area.

He said: “No one passes to anywhere when it rains at Ebong Essien, Ikot Udoro Junction near NUCO School, Okon Inyang, Ekpo Abasi, Nelson Mandela and Udoette areas of Itu. Most times, when it rains shops are flooded and the owners suffer great loss especially at night.

“All the roads here are bad and tenants are packing out of these areas on a daily basis from both business and residential apartments.

” It is wrong that state owned media houses would announce that roads in our area have been reconstructed when it was only a small portion at Essien Inyang Street that was given a shallow touch which could not survive the volume of water flooding through Udoette and Nelson Mandela roads from Itam.

” The road collapsed within a very short time because the drainage provided could not carry the volume of water. Sometimes they will pour laterite as a form of intervention but it doesn’t last because of the heavy flow of water.”

Also pastor Martins Uwa of Believers Testimony Assembly loacted at Nelson Mandela, lamented how the state of the road negatively affects attendance of worshippers at church services especially during rainy season.

“Most members have missed coming to church service especially when it rains due to the terrible, always flooded road. We have spent a lot as a church to at least make the road passable but the more we fill up the potholes, the more it gets worse”, Pastor Uwa asserted.

On her part, Emediong Stanley, a tenant and seamstress at Udoette Street said most of them still staying behind were waiting for their rents to expire, stressing, “But my concern is that the state government announced on the radio that they have rehabilitated Udoette Street but those were all lies. I have neither seen a tipper nor sand”

When contacted, the Chairman Akwa Ibom Road, Infrastructural Maintenance Agency, (AKROIMA) Godwin Ntukude, said the Udom Emmanuel’s administration is a responsible government and had never announced that it has completed the entire stretch of Udoette street.

“We have intervened in Udoette Street few metres away from the big gully at the sharp bend. We stopped there hoping that when the rain subsides we will come for the final wearing course. And since what is remaining are just potholes we will take it to Nuco secondary school.

“We have worked to ensure zero potholes in front of PHCN Edet Akpan, Nwaniba, Uruan street etc. I’m sure if we had left it the way it was, people would not have been able to pass through those areas. State government is waiting for the rains to subside. No road work can be best done during rainy season especially this year’s rain that has been hazardous”, AKRIOMA noted.

(Courtesy Vanguard)

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