By TINA TIMOTHY

The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), a Pro-democracy, human and environmental rights Advocacy group, has called on the federal government to urgently rehabilitate the stretch of the dilapidated road from Aba (in Abia State) to Eleme Junction (in Rivers State) axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.

In a statement on Thursday May 5, 2022, which was signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, FENRAD decried the deplorable state of that section of the road between Osisioma-Ngwa junction in Aba, Abia State, and Imo River near Oyigbo in Rivers State which the group claimed “is the most horrible section” of the Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway’.

The statement reads: “Life has become so hectic for road users and roadside dwellers of Aba-Port Harcourt Express Way. Between Osisioma-Ngwa junction in Aba, Abia State, and Imo River near Oyigbo in Rivers State, is the most horrible section of the road. The sordid experience being encountered by motorists plying within that section of the road is inexplicable.

“In the past years, before the advent of the present federal government, the respective stakeholders had expressed serious concern prompting them to engage in diverse measures to call on the then federal government to consider rehabilitating the road between Aba, Abia State and Eleme Junction in Rivers State. These agitations were on until the coming of the present government in 2015.

“The next time we checked, it was noticed that a road construction company called China Civil was doing some works on the Section of the road between Oyigbo and Eleme junction in Rivers State.

“In what we considered as road infrastructures delivery segregation by federal government that the constitution of the road in question falls in its purview, as we observed that the Section of Oyigbo to Eleme junction has been fully reconstructed and completed with four lanes on each side, leaving us with posing questions, especially as we noticed that nothing is being done on the side of Abia State.

“Now the questions agitating for answers are:

“Why did China Civil desert the construction site after completion of the section of Oyigbo to Eleme Junction?

“What plans has federal government to effect rehabilitation on the section from Osisioma Ngwa junction in Aba to Oyigbo in Rivers State?

“Is Sukuuk funds, as federal government said, it is being used to finance the reconstruction of federal roads not covering Abia State?

“Is the Section of the road between Aba and Oyigbo not part of Aba-Port Harcourt Express way?

“Aba, to be precise, is one of the major commercial centres in the South South and Southeast regions such that any deficit on road infrastructure will grossly affect the inter- state trade relations thereby declining the revenue generation both to states and federal government.

“In 2011, there was a conceived plan by the then federal government to build container terminal at Aba, given the proven fact that Onne Wharf in Eleme Rivers has majority of her business importers at Aba, the commercial city of Abia State. Following this too, it was irrevocably found that the rate of vehicular movements especially articulated vehicles were unimaginable that constant maintenance attention was required to keep the road in efficient services for an uninterrupted access to vehicles to and fro movement Onne Wharf in Rivers State and Aba in Abia State.

“FENRAD, in conjunction with other stakeholders, was worried that following their socio-economic inclusive survey on the effect of citizens in relation to the poor condition of the road given the activities of the two major states of Abia and Rivers, it becomes imperative that the respective government should give a desirable facelift to this all-important dual carriage way.”

FENRAD, therefore, recommended that “while the Section between Oyigbo and Eleme Junction in Rivers State has completed with great relief to motorists, Federal government should consider the remaining section from Oyigbo to Osisioma Ngwa junction in Aba, Abia State.”

While commending the federal government on its strong commitment to the delivery of infrastructure in the South East which is exemplified in: Enugu-Umuahia road, Enugu-Abakaliki, Umuahia-Aba road, Second Niger bridge criss-crossing Asaba in Delta State to Onitsha-Owerri road in Anambra state, among others, FENRAD urged the federal government to deploy the same pace it was using to provide infrastructure in other sectors across the regions of the country and show practical attention to this section of Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway by propelling Arab contractors that is already at Osisioma-Ngwa side to fast track the work “as delay is dangerous and could be denial.”