IT has become obvious that the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari would not complete the reconstruction of the Enugu -Onitsha expressway and other federal roads in the South East which it began several years ago as promised, going by the current state of the roads. The All Progressives Congress, APC, – led federal government has only seven months to go and with campaigns already on for the February 2023 general elections, work has virtually stopped on most of the roads as all attention is focused on the election.

Even the 2^nd Niger Bridge which the government promised to deliver by October this year had turned out to be unrealizable as the work is yet to be completed. Although 95% of work on the bridge had been done, the access roads to the bridge at the Delta and Anambra ends are yet to be finished. Last week, the federal controller of works in Anambra State, Mr. Seyi Martins said the likely date for the completion of the bridge is the first quarter of next year. It was gathered that the federal government might commission the bridge without the access roads so as to avoid a situation where the incoming government would take the credit.

However, the most worrisome is the state of the federal highways in the region. With most federal highways in the South East still in bad shape, motorists are groaning and wondering why the situation should continue to be so.

In addition to the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, other federal highways in the South East yet to be completed several years after commencement of work on them include the Enugu – Port Harcourt, Oba -Nnewi -Okigwe, Ninth Mile – Nsukka, Onitsha -Nsukka, Umuahia – Ikot Ekpene, among others.

For the Enugu -Onitsha highway, recall that the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola had earlier promised that one section of it would be completed before Christmas of 2020 to ease traffic in the area for Christmas returnees, but that promise was not kept. Indeed, one lane of the Onitsha Head bridge to Awka is completed, but Awka to Enugu had remained work in progress until recently when the contractors could no longer be seen on site. The total abandonment of one lane from Onitsha to Enugu has put so much pressure on the lane where work is ongoing, such that motorists are usually held for hours at the Amawbia flyover where they struggle to join the completed section, with the attendant gridlock and accidents.

Outside Awka, both sides of the Amansea end to Oji River in Enugu State has remained a no go area, forcing motorists to be using the old Enugu-Onitsha road rehabilitated by Enugu and Anambra states governments. The pressure on that road has also led to its dilapidation.

Also, the ninth mile to 82 Division junction is drivers’ nightmare and those traveling from Anambra to the northern part of the country now enter the city of Enugu through the Four Corner and do more than a semi circle to get to Opi town in Nsukka before continuing their journey. A recent trip to Nsukka through the ninth mile showed that most parts of the road are littered with heavy duty vehicles plying East- North route which end up on the road side for days as their vehicles usually get stuck with the goods they were carrying. Such dedicated vehicles cannot use the Milliken Hill rehabilitated by the Enugu State government because it is barricaded for big vehicles, coupled with the fact that they cannot maneuver the hills with long vehicles.

In Abia State, the Ohafia – Arochukwu federal road has totally collapsed, just as the Ohafia- Umuahia road. As it stands, people traveling from Aba to Port Harcourt no longer use the expressway due to the bad state of the road and they are forced to go through Owerrinta on the Owerri. Ngokpuala road to join Rivers State.

Motorists who spoke to Saturday Vanguard say they have since lost hope that these roads would be completed under the present regime. Mr. Adam Oshogu, who transports farm produce from Benue State to the markets in the South East said their experience on the roads in the South East is terrible.

Oshogu said: “It takes us about three days to deliver goods from Benue to the states in the South East and we even carry mechanics in our vehicles just in case of breakdown along the Nsukka- Ninth mile- Onitsha road. The traders who own these goods also suffer as they stay with us at night whenever there is a breakdown.

“I remember all the noise made when the construction of the Enugu-Onitsha highway was started and I am surprised that it is yet to be finished nearly 20 years work started.”

According to him, the bad state of the roads is contributing to high cost of goods brought from the northern part of the country to the east. He added that many vehicle owners have withdrawn from the Northern to the Eastern routes and called on those responsible for working on the roads to consider what people are passing through.

Another driver, Mr. Mark Iliya said he prefers driving through Nsukka- Nike road to join the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway which is good up to Aba, but wondered why the federal government has abandoned the ninth mile to Nsukka road.

As the drivers are complaining, businessmen are also complaining. For instance, traders at the building materials market at Umuokpu Awka along the expressway say it is very difficult to bring in goods to the market due to the bad state of the abandoned section of the Enugu-Onitsha highway where the market is situated.

“The lorries bringing goods into this market go through hell. Sometimes they refuse to go and turn in Awka because of the traffic gridlock, thereby forcing us to use labourers to carry the rods and cement across to the market”, he said. (Saturday Vanguard)

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