By Ovat Abeng
Residents of Anambra State, on Thursday, held protests in various parts of the state against politicians and other individuals spreading false narratives about the roads constructed by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
They said that the “ill-conceived stories” trending on social media that the roads constructed by the governor had failed were not true and should be thrown into the trash bin where they belong.
In Awka North, residents of the Local Government Area trooped out in their numbers on the 26km Amansea – Ebenebe – Ugbenu – Ugbene – Awba Ofemmili Road to tell the world that the very long stretch of road constructed by Soludo was still intact and very solid.
The people carried placards with various inscriptions such as ‘Ndi asili 2025 keep off, Solution is here to stay’, ‘Amansea to Awba Ofemmili Road is solid’, ‘Qaulity road, quality governor’, ‘Roads constructed in Awka North LGA are 100% perfect’, ‘Awka North is for solution governor 100%’ among others.
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A community leader in Ugbenu, Hon. James Onwuka, made it very clear that he used the road everyday and that he had not seen any portion that failed.
“This road you’re seeing is 100 per cent perfect. In fact, this road is of European standard. In Anambra State we have not seen this kind of road before.
“The other time, somebody visited this area from Ebonyi State and he confessed that this road constructed by Soludo is of higher standard than the ones they have in Ebonyi State.
“We’re saying that based on what Governor Soludo has done for us, we are supporting him 100 per cent. And in the next year’s elections, we’ll give him our votes”, Onwuka declared.
Another community leader from Urum, Chief Amaechi Obiesili, said that he found the statement credited to some politicians that the road in Awka North had started collapsing as puerile and very laughable.
“We are standing on the 26km Amansea – Ebenebe – Ugbenu – Ugbene – Awba Ofemmili Road as you can see. Which part of it has collapsed?
“Can the political opponents of Soludo who’re spreading these false narratives step forward and show us which portion of the road had gone bad? They’re just lying against the good works of Mr Governor and it is not good”, he said.
Obiesili, popularly known as Chiefoo, commended Soludo for his good works and urged him not to relent in his efforts to develop the state for the good of the people.
In Awka, the state capital, commercial tricycle operators popularly known as Keke NAPEP, held a solidarity walk in support of the administration of Governor Soludo.
The Keke riders said that they no longer frequented mechanics workshop as before ever since Governor Soludo reconstructed the roads in Awka and its environs.
Coordinator of Anambra Keke Drivers Forum (AKDF), Comrade Osita Obi, while addressing newsmen on the newly tarred road near Prof. Kenneth Dike Library, said that commercial tricycle operators in the state were happy with Soludo’s road work.
“We were here when this road was under construction. This is one of the wonders of Governor Chukwuma Soludo. From here to Roban Store road through the back of the CBN to Club Road down to Ngozika Housing Estate, Soludo is working.
“So, we are here to see where our taxes are going. And we can see that Soludo is using them well. We can see the results.
“Again, there is a trending video about what happened in Ochanja area of Onitsha where a small portion of the road which is still under construction had small issue after the it had rained.
“The road was still under construction and it’s not fair to criticize the governor or the contractor on that incident because they had no control over the rain or the weather generally”, Obi stated.