There were looks of abandonment on the faces of passers-by along Aba-Ikot- Ekpene road on September 19. The road links Abia to Akwa Ibom—two states in the oil-rich South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria. In the 1990s, Aba shoe and textile makers ferried their products to Akwa Ibom through the road. But the road now looked as forlorn as its passers-by. The Aba section was overrun by dirty water. The middle of the section bordering Umuokpo and Onicha Ngwa communities in Obingwa Local Government Area was covered by comfortably-sat green grass.
“They have abandoned us to our fate,” Nonso Obima, a shoemaker at Ariaria, who lives in Ogbor Hill area of the road, said.
“They have cut off the section through which we supply our shoes and textiles to neighbouring states and Cameroon,” he cried.
Talking about abandoned road projects, the road was awarded on December 13, 2012, to Arab Contractors OAO Nigeria Limited at the cost of N3.780 billion. The road links Aba to Akwa Ibom and Cross River in Nigeria, and Cameroon in Central Africa. It was supposed to start from Ikot-Ekpene, criss-cross Aba and end in Owerri. The road was to be dualised, but much of Aba—Ikot-Ekpene axis was not. Those who live around confirmed that the project was started in 2012 but abandoned midway. Reliable sources said after a long period of abandonment, the contractor ran to the Ministry of Works complaining that the contract was undervalued. The federal executive council thereafter approved additional N6.17 billion in 2018, which is yet to be released.
Strangely, Minister of Information Lai Mohammed listed this road as one of the 69 ongoing projects in the South-East in August 2018. When BusinessDay visited this road in 2018, work was not going on as it was discovered that the contractor merely parked vehicles at a private residence in-between the United Evangelical Church and Onyedika Industries, Alaoji Ntigha. The long and short story is that the contract is yet to be completed seven years after being awarded.
Around 2011, this road had over 40 filling stations, 50 restaurants, seven hotels, over six manufacturing firms, three farm settlements and tens of super markets, among others, Ben Ihu, a resident of one of the towns along the axis, told BusinessDay.
“But most of them have closed shop,” he said.
If you think that this is the whole story, then visit Amasea-Ebenebe-Umuna road, which borders Anambra and Enugu states. The road was supposed to cut across Aguobu Owa-Mgbagbu Owa-Ebenebe- Awaha-Oyoha and Oyofo Iwollo.
It was also awarded on December 13, 2012 to Conduc Nigeria Limited at the cost of N3.035 billion ($19 million in 2012). Some sections of Ebenebe axis are in good shape, but the Ebenebe-Umuna section is nothing to write home about. Minor repairs were done in the Enugu State axis in December 2018, but the general impression by natives is that the contractor did a shoddy job. The road is estimated by Google map as 26 to 30 km. This project cost Nigeria $633,333 for one kilometre in 2012. Within this period in Ghana, a kilometre of road cost GHS 135,000 ($57,349).
Moreover, the Umulungbe-Umuoka-Amokwu-Ikedimkpe Egede-Ojieyi-Awhu was awarded on June 18, 2018 by the present administration. A company known as Enugu IDC Construction got this contract at the cost of N6.245 billion. No work was going on the road on September 23 when our correspondent plied it. Yet another abandoned road project. Only the equipment of Arab Contractors was surprisingly parked along this axis.
“The road is a nightmare whenever it rains,” John Ezechukwu, commercial vehicle driver, who plies this road every day from Enugu, said.
Sections of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway are currently being constructed by RCC, but this road has been in a state of disrepair for over a decade.
Every now and then, a lot of people plying this road have avoidable accidents because the work on this road is slow. Onitsha to Umunya has recently been built, but Amansea to Ugwuoba is bad, with construction in fits and starts. Vehicles now divert to Old Enugu-Onitsha Road, but this road itself is becoming dilapidated owing to pressure.
“We manufacturers using this road spend a lot of money to move our goods to Enugu,” Chukwubuike Nnoli, CEO of Zubnol Limited, an Awka-based pillow and duvets manufacturer, said.
“If you leave by 2pm to Enugu, rest assured that you can’t return because you could face insecurity along this axis,” he added.
Again, what is being classified by the Federal Government as Oseakwa Bridge at Ihiala town in Anambra State, which was handled by Horizon Construction Limited at N896.863 million, is not technically a bridge. It is not ongoing and the road links it to nowhere. Technically, federal government projects or roads connect states, but this purported bridge does not connect any other state. In fact, BusinessDay saw no bridge anywhere.
“We are not serious in Nigeria. We give out a contract and allow a contractor to run away,” Sam Ifionu, a native of Nkporo in Abia State, said in respect of Nkporo-Abiria-Ohafia- Road, which has been abandoned by the contractor.
Drivers now avoid the Nkporo-Ohafia Road to avoid falling into ditches as they now take an easier and better Abiriba Road. Even at that, a section of Abiriba road is threatened by erosion.
However, some sections of Abiriba-Arochukwu-Ohafia, a different road project, was ongoing as of September 22.
Contrary to claims by Minister Mohammed in 2018, the Olokoro-Isiala-Oboro-Nnono road, awarded to Bok Company Nigeria in 2010 at N515.315 million, was not ongoing as of September 20 when BusinessDay visited. Neither was the Olokoro-Alaukwu-Itaja-Okwu-Obuohia-Ikwuano Road, contracted to Abia Rhas in 2010 at N990.673 million, ongoing.
In Nigeria, contractors handle projects haphazardly owing to lack of financial mobilisation, poor supervision by the Ministry of Works or related ministries and corruption, analysts say.
There is something about Amanwaozuzu-Uzoagba-Eziama Orie-Amakohia Road in Imo State, awarded to Imo Vic Phranc Nigeria Limited on November 23, 2013, at N1.275 billion. It was supposed to be a rehabilitation, but BusinessDay observed that the road was broken, which natives believe is attributed to poor quality of work by the contractor. A greater section of Uzoagba was not repaired, and one village called Umueze, which links Uzoagba and Amakohia, was not done at all, villagers said.
Lai Mohammed said this road was being repaired in 2018, but this is far from the truth, pictures and videos show.
In case you have a health crisis, do not ply Okigwe-Anara-Amaraku-Atta-Owerri Road. Commuters make conscientious efforts to avoid this road for fear of hurting their waists.
Only drainages are constructed at Amaraku. Road from Amaraku to Okigwe bad and shoddy. The Federal Ministry of Works was not found on this road anywhere. Only the Amaraku-Attah-Iho repairs are done by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by Iyke Jordan Limited.
“The quality of work done sometimes leaves much to be desired,” said Ike Ibeabuchi, an Enugu-based manufacturer.
“Some individual contractors do not have the capacity too,” he said.
A civil engineer who works in one of the biggest construction firms in Nigeria, attributed abandonment of contracts to poor funding.
“Yes, corruption may be involved, but when you start, government pays you mobilisation. But you work on the basis of milestones. When you finish a milestone, you are expected to start the next milestone and when you are not paid, you pull out.
“Mind you, contractors work with bank overdrafts and when they are not paid, the interest rate accumulates,” the engineer said.
Blame past and present governments for the federal roads, but the state governors must be able to address poor road network in the South-East.
In Imo State, Naze-Nekede-Iheagwa Road has become a bad advertisement for Imo State. Students pay 150 instead of N100 to come to school from Owerri town as buses break down in muddy waters.
Osisioma is a bad advertisement for Abia State, with the road dirty and broken.
“Abia State must embark on urban renewal,” a shoemaker in the state recommended.
Nigeria requires to spend three to five percent of its annual budget to bridge infrastructure gap. A minimum of $3 trillion will be needed to bridge huge infrastructure gap in the country, according to the Bureau for Public Enterprises. Cash-strapped states in Nigeria are struggling to pay workers’ wages. But analysts say corruption and wastages are holding the country back.
David Henry, Ministry of Works spokesman, told BusinessDay that budget delay has been the major reason why the ministry has not mobilised some contractors.
“Secondly is weather conditions,” he said.
He explained the ministry only gives certificate of completion when a contract is completed, stressing that the government would soon mobilise all contractors being owed.
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