Our roads of misery

Nigeria as a country never fails to shock. When we think we have seen it all or reached a low beyond which we think it is impossible to transcend, we suddenly realize that we are already several notches below that low and that indeed there is capacity or possibility to sink even further.

Several Fridays ago, I was shocked at what can only be described as the miserable and primitive existence of Nigerians and the comfortable and uncomplaining manner with which we adjust, accepting same and basically trudge on with our lives. No questions asked.

I had two business meetings in the eastern part of Nigeria – Enugu and Onitsha – two cities ordinarily 45 minutes apart. My intention: attend the Enugu meeting, head out to Onitsha, and make it back to Enugu to catch the last flight out about 4pm. Arriving Enugu about 8.30am, the first inkling that things may not go as I had planned was my failure to contract a car hire to convey me to Onitsha after my Enugu meeting. This was successful only after the fourth attempt. The first three airport taxis refused. The fourth driver accepted but at a fee that I thought was astronomical. But by this time I was already running late for my 10am Enugu meeting so I was not in the mood to haggle aggressively.

The second sign that all was not well was a call from my host in Onitsha who was checking to confirm I was in town and also to enquire if I would be on time. On my part, I had estimated two hours to get to Onitsha after my Enugu meeting, believing that at the worst the journey would be 60 minutes. I actually hoped to have at least an extra 60 minutes to undertake one or two social visits beyond the official assignments. When I told my host I would be on time, there was a hesitation in his voice which I thought nothing of until I commenced my journey to Onitsha several minutes after the call. 

From Enugu to 9th Mile, on the expressway, it was a slow torturous grind through potholes, gullies, grass, dirt strips and a few bitumened patches. It was simply unbelievable. Some of the gullies were so deep that sedans could be completely swallowed in them. My thought as my driver snaked through, scraping the bottom of the car here and there, was simply – what happens on a rainy day?

As we approached 9th Mile, it became even worse. 9th Mile is a terminus of some sort. From Enugu, a spur to the right leads to Nsukka, Benue State and generally north of the country. There are also a couple of industries located therein, most significant of them Nigerian Breweries Plc. It was here that cars, trailers, tankers, motorbikes, etc were all driving in diverse directions, each seeking a stretch of road on which to continue their journey. There was no longer driving on the left or right. It was each man or vehicle to their own. People drove in whichever direction they pleased, each seeking or struggling to find a stretch of road suitable to make progress. Simply put, it was difficult to comprehend the chaos. I could not believe what I was seeing. Coupled with this, there were street traders or maybe now “expressway” traders darting in-between vehicles hawking their wares. Then the garbage that littered both sides and the centre of the expressway! Incredible!

Luckily, within a short while, my driver was able to escape and we detoured left at Udi onto the old Enugu Road to continue our trip. I was informed that from that point onwards, the “expressway” was simply not motorable. The old road had been rehabilitated up to the boundary with Anambra State by the immediate past governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime. Again I wondered, what if His Excellency had not had the foresight to fix the road?

Trailers, tankers, luxury buses, midsized buses, cars and all manner of other heavy-duty contraptions were now plying this single-lane road which snaked through the various towns – Udi, Nachi, Oji River, Amansea, etc towards Awka. These articulated vehicles did not at any point attempt to reduce their speed. In the past, these heavy-duty vehicles kept to the expressway, but because that had simply collapsed, every traffic bound from Udi to Awka and vice versa now has to use the old road. Put in perspective, it is partly like driving through your local neighbourhood at 20 km per hour with traders, kiosks, mechanics, parked vehicles, buses, trailers, etc all located on both sides of the road, but in this case your destination is 70 km away. Add to this the ubiquitous military, police, customs and – wait for it – civil defence checkpoints interspaced along the route and the resultant traffic build-up they cause and you will appreciate what it means to compound travellers’ misery.

To cut a long story short, through the ingenuity and local knowledge of the terrain by my driver, I made the journey to Onitsha in four hours. It definitely could have been worse. I quickly rushed my meeting and within an hour hopped back into the car for what turned out to be another four-and-a-half-hour trip to Enugu, finally arriving about 8.30pm.

One thought bothered me all night and that was the ease with which Nigerians resigned themselves to misery. Granted, the question would most likely be, do those in positions of authority really care whether the citizens are miserable or not? Whichever way, must we the citizens allow them peace? Should we not continue to shout to the high heavens until they do the needful?

The Enugu-Onitsha Expressway did not go bad overnight, and in fairness, none of the present people in office both at the federal and state levels of government can be said to be responsible for its present state. BUT IT IS NOW THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.

What did the past governments do? Is it possible that for the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway there was no single budgetary vote for its maintenance in over a decade? If so, then that can only be described as the height of callousness, wickedness and irresponsibility. To sit back and watch a whole expressway degenerate from well-laid out six lanes with shoulder, disappear into pure dirt roads, gullies, and in most instances overgrown completely by bush shrubs cannot be anything else. Indeed, if there were allocations for maintenance, what exactly happened to them? How was the money expended? Who are the officers responsible? Somehow, no matter how one tries to view and rationalize the situation, it is difficult not to come back to the conclusion that all is not well. Something has to be wrong here! Not only with the leadership but also the followership!

In a few weeks the usual Igbo migration back to the villages will commence for the Christmas and New Year celebrations. My heart bleeds for the number of lives that will be unnecessarily lost, the man-hours that will be wasted and the thousands who will be robbed and assaulted. My heart bleeds for the suffering and misery that as Nigerians we all unnecessarily undergo. My heart bleeds even more for the fact that we have basically resigned ourselves to this predatory existence.

Unfortunately, the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway is only representative of virtually all the roads in the nation – total collapse. The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a once leisurely drive of 70 minutes, is now easily four-eight hours and sometimes 20 hours depending on what articulated vehicle has decided to take a somersault on the expressway. The Ore-Sagamu portion of the expressway is falling apart in chunks. Enugu-Port Harcourt is basically the same sad story, etc. One could go on and on.

It is hoped that for once, those in authority will compassionately view our infrastructural decay with a sense of urgency. They have come with the mantra of “change”. The change mantra should not only be visible but also felt on roads like the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway. The culture of maintenance should be ingrained into our national existence. It should be part of the change we are looking forward to.

This is the time for our leaders to roll up their sleeves, shun all the cameras and designer clothing and sincerely get down to work with the determination to sincerely reduce the suffering of the masses. Really, what else do we ask of them but this little? When they have begun to achieve results in these areas, we would not really mind the photo ops, the wide smiles, bullet-proof jeeps and thousands of security details that surround and give an air of importance only them and a few others appreciate.

Chudi Ubosi