The Village Head of Nnung Udoe, Ediene Ikot Obio, Imo, in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Eteidung Augustine Udoh, has threatened to mobilise his people to block the access road into the area if no maintenance is carried out as soon as possible.
Eteidung Udoh, said the community had suffered hardship and witnessed frequent accidents since the Akwa Ibom State Government opened up the community’s roads as an alternative route due to the blockage of the Abak Road owing to the ongoing construction of Ekom Iman Flyover.
The state government in 2019 awarded the flyover contract at the Ikot Oku Ikono-Ekom Iman Junction along Abak and Idoro roads in Uyo to Julius Berger to ease traffic and consolidate the ongoing dualisation of the Uyo-Etinan Road.
The village head said roads in his domain were currently in a dilapidated state, and explained that all the heavy duty trailers and trucks carrying stones, granites and chippings from Akamkpa in Cross River State to Abak, Ikot Abasi and even Port Harcourt, had now diverted their routes and followed through the community.
He said the trucks had badly damaged the community’s roads such that smaller vehicles could no longer ply the area and that vehicular accidents were frequent.
Eteidung Udoh lamented that Idoro Road which was constructed and dualised with a very high elevation, but without drainage, and the ongoing construction work at Ediene Ikot Akpan had diverted flood waters into the community.
He further said it was the responsibility of the construction company handling the road project there to maintain alternative routes till the main project was completed, but that that was not done.
According to Eteidung Udoh, a new housing estate; Martha Udom’s Vineyard, built by the state government was right in the middle of the flooded area.
He warned that no meaningful development would be possible there if there was no proper drainage to take flood out of the community.
He added that the sack of the only two members of the community working on the construction of the flyover had further provoked the community and made them hostile.
Our correspondent observed that the community’s road which was constructed less than seven years ago has been completely ruined due to the heavy traffic diverted into the area.
At the commencement of the project, the Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ephraim Inyangeyen, said the flyover would allow commuters coming from Abak to easily access the city.
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