Efio-Ita Nyok|23 March 2016|6:00am
On Monday 21 March 2016, heavy duty trucks drivers took to Akpabuyo-Calabar Municipality Federal road especially the Atimbo section to register their reservation against the government for not fixing what has become a death trap. They were joined by youth from Akpabuyo LGA. They blocked the road and frustrated flow of traffic.
Despite the fact that this road is a Trunk A road implying that it's not the call of the state government, however, if one were to go by the trend of other state governments like Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Imo, etc it has been reasoned that Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River should fix this road and recoup the funds from the Federal Government with even interest. Besides, the heavy duty vehicle drivers pay the sum of N12,800 per truck and no fewer than 100 trucks ply that route.
As at last year, the state government explained that they will fix the grossly dilapidated road but the indigenes of the state should be patient with them until the dry season as roads are not constructed during the rainy season. But the dry season has come and is gradually phasing off and the state government is fabricating another story: 'this is a Trunk A facility. Our hands are tied'. Implying that we can't fix the road.
Yesterday, Daniel Agbor of Pulse Nigeria reported that, 'I was with the SA and PA to the governor, the Traditional Council of Akpabuyo and Bakassi today to see a way forward and coming to a simple agreement. They have agreed to clear the road but have given government two weeks to put things right or they will block completely and finally'.
It would interest the reader to know that one of Gov. Ayade's media aide, Paul Ojeka, in the puerile attempt to defend his principal who has been away from the state for over 4 weeks, took to social media to deceive unsuspecting members of the public by posting pictures of road construction from the Akpabuyo-MCC section of the road where there is an ongoing intervention work according to him. This initiated a scuffle yesterday.
I am calling on the governor of Cross River State to return and fix the Akpabuyo-Calabar Trunk A road and demand repayment from the Federal Government as it is wont to be done nowadays.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger & the Editor of Negroid Haven