It has become unavoidable to call the attention of the governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano to the abandoned project; Okohia/Umuezeawala road in Ihiala Local Government Area which his administration awarded since his first administration but later abandoned.
It is sad to note that this is the only road in Ihiala that the state government has ever attempted to do since the return of democracy in 1999. It is therefore logical to give a credit to Governor Obiano for putting Ihiala in his schedules for road projects, but unfortunately, the road was abandoned over about two years ago over insignificant issues.
No doubt, the larger part of the road had been done remaining just a small part. However, the danger is that the abandoned part of the road is now hazardous that it has become a no-go area for school children, residents including farmers and old people. As a matter of fact, in many occasions, old persons and little children have fell into the deep flood but luckily rescued by nearby persons which would have led to fatal incidents had there been no good and strong persons around at the time of the incidents. Inarguably, such mishaps are avoidable had the road been completed as other part of the road.
This is therefore to call on the state government to move the contractor to site for the completion of the road irrespective of whatever reasons that led to the stoppage of the project on public interest. The suspension of the road for whatever reasons is unacceptable as it has nearly caused deaths, and also always causing unbearable hardship to the people particularly at nights.
It may be shocking to state that motorists in the affected Umuezewala village have been forced to become trekkers abandoning cars on account of the bad road which has no alternative good road. In fact, residents moving around in the kindreds or visiting extended families have become a great task to avoid falling into the deep floods.
In the light of this, Governor Obiano is hereby called upon to revisit the contract without any delay with the aim of completing the projects knowing that nothing can be greater than human lives being endangered by the abandoned road.
Carl Umegboro, a public affairs analyst wrote this piece from Ihiala.
