By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo has regretted the bad state of all the roads in Awka, the Anambra State capital, saying that every community in it have a road crisis which has largely affected the 181 communities in the state.

He said that his administration is targeting strategic roads that have an impact on traffic and economic activities in the state.

Soludo made the remark during the flag off of 14.48km Unizik-Okpuno Awka-isuanaocha road on Saturday.

He said: “I was grieved about the deplorable conditions of the roads and the excruciating pains being experienced by the people on a daily basis.

“Every community in Awka, I must admit have a road crisis. The 181 communities in the state is largely affected.

“We are targeting strategic roads that have an impact on traffic and economic activities in the state.

“When I first visited this road, I walked all the way down from Unizik Junction to Y-Junction to assess its situation.

“We need to re-develop Awka and build pedestrian walkways where people will be walking.

“There will be a distance from where people build houses to the gutters.

“We will expand the roads and make it a double lane road from Unizik temporary site junction to Y-Junction. Not forgetting Club road, INEC road, Millennium industry, NECO Office, Regina Caeli and its environs.”

While promising to give Awka a facelift and make it a befitting state capital that ndi Anambra would be proud of, the Governor said that he came to fulfil the promise he made to the people during the Anambra Governorship campaign.

He acknowledged that after his inspection around Awka, he found out that all the roads are in a very bad state.

Soludo added: “Between yesterday and today, we flagged-off more than 60km of roads in the state.

“When you develop strategic roads, the value of assets will increase. We shall be building roads gradually because we can't build all the roads at a time.

“As the people pay their taxes, we will continue to build more roads because your tax money is at work!

“We will complete over 250km of roads after our one year in office and show practical results of our achievements.

“We don’t flag roads off and go away. Any road we are flagging off, we have saved the money for it.

“I am not a conventional politician that flags off roads and doesn’t construct them. It's not just the awarding of roads. Any road we start, we must complete it with a guarantee of 20 years.

“All the roads we are embarking on in the state are quality roads because the solution is here.

“APGA is here and the vision of the party is to transform the state rapidly in terms of infrastructural development.”

While handing over the site certificate to the contractor to commence construction of the road, Soludo hinted that the Contractor has a very high reputation, saying,

“We have heard of NigerCat but if you do a standard road, we will employ you for subsequent roads because we need quality roads delivered to our people.

“We don’t want our people to go through this hardship ever again during the rainy season by next year.”

Earlier in his speech, the Transition Committee Chairman for Awka South, Chief ThankGod Aniagoh, thanked the Governor for bringing infrastructural development to Awka.

He described Soludo as a man that knows the way, even as he urged people to follow his path.

On his part, the Commissioner for Works, Engr Ifeanyi Okoma, said the Governor is concerned about the roads in Awka.

He said: “Today, he is constructing a 14.48 km road with cement stabilization and 6 inches stone base.”

The Commissioner reiterated that the design was done in a way to solve the erosion challenge being experienced on the road.