Commuters doing business either in Akwa Ibom or Cross River using the Itu-Calabar highway have lamented the deplorable condition of the road, saying it has now become a death trap.
Before this year’s general elections, politicians from the ruling political party of the Federal Government had announced the award of contract for the construction of the road.
Findings however, have indicated that the equipment and other construction instruments said to have been hurriedly assembled by the yet-to-be identified contractors have since been withdrawn.
However, business travellers have lamented the deplorable condition which has worsened as heavy downpour is experienced almost daily.
According one the traveller, Etim Bassey who hauls petroleum product between the two states, the situation is such that a journey of less than some kilometres between the two states which used to take one hour now takes four hours.
The already bad situation is made worse by the many trailers and heavy trucks that have gotten stuck in the impassable sections of the road, they said.
Speaking on a radio programme, Ephraim Inyangeyen, commissioner of works, Akwa Ibom State, expressed concern over the apparent neglect of federal roads in the state by the Federal Government.
He stated that it was embarrassing for the Federal Government not to consider Akwa Ibom State as part of Nigeria in terms of road development.
He said that the state deserves some presence of the Federal Government as one of the contributors to the growth of the country’s economy.
He pointed out that in the case of the Calabar-Itu road, it was a “political contract” because he didn’t see any major contractor or the Federal ministry of works giving the state ministry of works an alignment of what the road would look like.
“In the absence of an alignment with the state government, there is no way a road that was initially done in the early 70s, could be put together,” he said.
He maintained that “there will be no way the road could be done, having not taken alignment with the state government, not paying compensation, but rather, they looked for open spaces, and begin to grade, which is not a good idea in roads construction.
“Nothing was done to signify that there was going to be a major road construction, and at such, it is very embarrassing when seeing Federal Government agencies running helter-skelter in the state,” he said.
According to him, the Federal Government has not treated Akwa Ibom fairly in terms of infrastructure, adding that the state government is crying out that the Federal Government should come to its rescue.
Inyangeyen debunked reports that the state government has received support for its numerous road projects, asserting further that the state hasn’t received support from any quarter.
“Every road project executed so far is from Akwa Ibom State government purse with no support from Exxon Mobil, even the flyover is done by Governor Udom Emmanuel”
He however, stressed that the state needs the Federal Government presence, to complement the excellent work of the governor.
He explained that if the state government was not doing what it is doing, Akwa Ibom State would probably be heading to a shut down in terms of road network.
ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo
