The lawmaker representing Nkanu East/West Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Nnolim Nnaji, has as a matter of urgency called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on South-East roads.
Nnaji, made the appeal on Wednesday when he led other federal lawmakers from the state to inspect the collapsed bridge at the New Artisan Enugu section of the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway.
He noted that most of the infrastructure in the zone had started collapsing and would need the intervention of the federal government.
He expressed concern over the hardship the people and travellers in the area have been facing since the collapse of the bridge, saying that it is only the urgent intervention by the federal government in collaboration with the state government that can remedy the ugly situation.
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“We have looked at the development and have seen the extent of the damage. I spoke to the chairman, House Committee on Works, and I also spoke to the chairman of Senate Committee on Works about the development, I am also aware that Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu State, spoke to the Minister of Works and also escalated the situation to the presidency,” he said.
While commending the state governor for the giant strides his administration had been making on infrastructure, Nnaji expressed regret over the badly damaged bridge, saying it would affect the aggressiveness with which the administration had been taking reforms on infrastructures and the state’s economy.
“We are going to escalate this issue beyond what you think at the floor of the House and to the Federal Government to come to our aid and reconstruct this bridge because it is affecting businesses, development and many other projects in Enugu, especially this time that the state government is coming up with a lot of programmes that will enhance the development of the state and its business environment.
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Appealing to the people of the state, especially road users, for patience, the lawmaker assured that they would do everything within their powers to ensure that the bridge was fixed in record time.
He called on the government to see the collapsed bridge as an opportunity to carry out structural and integrity tests on bridges and roads in the region and the country at large to avoid a repeat of the incident.
The federal lawmakers that accompanied him to the site include; Chimaobi Atu, representing Enugu North/South Federal Constituency, Stainless Nwodo, representing Igbo-Etiti/Uzo Uwani Federal Constituency, and Obi Aguocha, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South.
