The entire university community of Nekede in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State has been cut off following the poor condition of the road that connects the area through Naze junction, along Owerri – Aba road.
Indeed residents of Umuoma, Umudibia, Umukoto, Umuerim, Umuofocha, Umuochomoke and Ihiagwa, all in Nekede, have had to stay indoors as transporters have virtually abandoned the road due to its bad situation.
Nekede community houses the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, the School of Forestry as well the Police College.
The contract for the building of 14.1 kilometre road was said to have been awarded to a Chinese company, China Harbour Engineering Company, by the former governor, Emeka Ihedioha, at the cost of N6.3 billion. It was however gathered that about N980 million had been paid to the contactors before the Supreme Court on January 14 ousted the PDP-led government in the state.
The contract was revoked by the Hope Uzodimma administration and is yet to be re-awarded.
The traditional ruler of Umudibia autonomous community, Dibia of Umudibia, Eze Godwin Merenini, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of the road, lamented that residents of the communities have suffered untold hardship as a result of the condition of the road.
He said that the situation has affected the Naze Industrial Cluster and all the cottage industries around the industrial cluster.
Eze Merenini said that though the government has been trying to fix the roads, there was the need for more effort to ameliorate the sufferings of the people.
He said: “As I am talking to you, many cottage industries at the Naze Industrial Cluster, the Cluster market and the university communities have suffered greatly as a result of the condition of this road. We appeal to the government to come to our aid so that we will continue to live our normal lives. We are not saying that they are not trying, but they need to do more.”
The immediate past Commissioner for Works under Ihedioha, Engr. Ben Ekwueme, said that appreciable work had been done on the road before the administration was removed from office.
He said, “I am the immediate past commissioner under Ihedioha. We handled that project. During out time, we did a lot of work and took it as one of our cardinal projects.
“The challenge of the 14.1 road from Naze to Obinze was very enormous but it is very important. It is a short cut road to Port Harcourt. A very significant road and we took it to heart, but why the contract was terminated we do not know. You may ask the present administration what happened.
The Commissioner for Works, Chief Ralph Nwosu, however told our correspondent that as at the time the Uzodimma administration came on board, the former contractor had done 6.2 km of the road.
He however said that the contract was revoked because the contractors worked outside the scope of work given to them.
Nwosu said that the contract will have to be re-awarded to start from the scratch.
“The contract was revoked because the contractors did not work in line with the scope of work. Though he had done some work on the road, including earth work, it was not in line with what we envisaged. We will have to start from the beginning. We are currently in the process of re-awarding it,” he said.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
