By Ovat Abeng
Anambra-East and West constituents have blasted their representatives at the state and federal legislatures over the very devastating and deplorable conditions of the Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road in the area.
Our findings at the Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road on Tuesday 26th August this year, we gathered from locals in the constituency that the road which they described as very strategic and connected the home of the House of Representatives member representing Anambra-East and West in the current 10th National Assembly, has been abandoned for over 5 years resulting to its very deteriorating state.
Investigations revealed further that Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road is now a nightmare with very gigantic potholes and bad portions from the beginning to the end of the road thereby making it practically impossible for small vehicles to navigate it except for tippers that equally got stuck in the bad portions in a bid to access it in spite of its terrible condition.
Some farmers and tipper drivers who spoke to our reporter during the investigation shared their sufferings , saying that the road needed urgent interventions in order to alleviate their sufferings because whenever it rained, no vehicle or human being can access the road due to excessive flooding.
Chukwuma Udekwe a native of Nneyi-Umueri whose farmland is located along Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road, said that the road is their worst nightmare and there seems to be no hope in sight because the road, according to him, has been like that for more than 5 years.
Udekwe who lamented that whenever it rained, they find it extremely difficult to access their farms due to excessive flooding, implored government and their representatives at the federal and state legislatures to come to their rescue and salvage the situation.
Also Mrs. Benedict Egwuonwu and Mrs. Francisca Egbo both of Nneyi-Umueri village and farming along Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road narrated similar ordeals, saying that the road is their worst experience as farmers because they find it really hard to evacuate their farm produce because no vehicles can ply the road; hence they resorted to using their heads or wheelbarrows to move their produce from the farm to the markets.
Both farmers maintained that the road is terribly bad from Nkwo-Nneyi to the point where it connected Anam in Anambra-West Local Government Area of the state even as they pleaded with the state government and their representatives at the federal and state legislatures to help remedy the situation to lessen their burdens and plights.
In the course of the investigation witnessed on the spot a tipper that got trapped in a big pothole in a bid to navigate the already damaged Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road.
The driver of the ill-fated tipper who identified himself as Emmanuel Nwogbe, corroborated what others said about the sorry state of the road, adding that the has destroyed many of their tippers beyond repair.
The tipper driver who stated that they plied Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road to convey sand despite its deplorable state, revealed that the Senator representing Anambra-North senatorial district in the current Senate used to ply the road even in its terrible condition but no longer used it, emphasizing that vehicles no longer accessed the road.
Another tipper driver, Mr. Godwin Eneanya who hails from Anambra-West but operated his tipper driving business along Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road, was seen by this journalist fixing his tipper near a pothole on the road.
Mr. Eneanya while responding to questions from our reporter, said his truck got spoilt while trying to navigate through a pothole on the road. He said his experience is just one out of the many ugly episodes tipper drivers encountered on the road.
He said that the National and State Assembly members from Anambra-East and West have abandoned the road and left their constituents who elected them into office to suffer untold hardships, stressing that even if the federal and state governments neglected the road; their representatives should have at least carried out palliative works on it like filling it with laterites to enable vehicles use the road.
A cyclist who identified himself as Ikenna Ekwealor said that the road is completely dilapidated and out of bounds for vehicles. He said that motorcycles even find it very difficult to navigate through it. He therefore pointed out that Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road connected many communities in the Omambala region of the state including the home of the incumbent member representing Anambra-East and West at the National Assembly.
Ekwealor also disclosed that the road has been terribly bad for more than 5 years with no interventions whatsoever from the legislative and executive arms of government respectively.
While the member representing Anambra-West constituency in the 8th assembly Hon. Patrick Obalum Udoba didn’t respond to calls, his colleague representing Anambra-East constituency Hon. Obi Calistus Nweke, said that the state government is aware of the devastating condition of Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road and it will attend to it.
Nweke also disclosed that Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo is constructing the road from Awkuzu to Otuocha; constructing the road from Aguleri-Uno to Aguleri-Otu and constructing the road from Awkuzu through Igbariam to Ayamelum.
The lawmaker who pointed out that their son who handed over to Governor Soludo didn’t attend to the said road, maintained that the Local Government Chairmen of Anambra-East and West can apply palliatives on the road while waiting for the governor’s intervention.
Meanwhile when our reporter contacted the House of Representatives member representing Anambra-East and West federal constituency Hon. Peter Aniekwe, to respond to issues concerning Nneyi-Umueri-Anam road, he didn’t take his calls even as efforts to reach the Senator representing Anambra-North senatorial zone Sen. Tony Nwoye, proved abortive because his phone was switched off as at the time of filling this report.
