Senator Ngwu tasks FG on abandoned federal roads in Enugu State
The Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Osita Ngwu has called on the federal government to urgently release funds to enable the contractor handling the old Enugu-Onitsha federal road complete the project.
Ngwu made the call, when he led members of the State House of Assembly and other leaders of the zone on a tour of the project being handled by Arab Contractors and the ongoing 9th Mile-Orokam road being handled by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
Speaking during the tour, Ngwu, who is the Senate Minority Whip, said that the old Enugu-Onitsha road, which stretches to Opi junction, through Ukehe-Okpatu- Umulumgbe – Udi-Oji from the Anambra Border, was awarded since 2019 and it is one of the major roads that connects the southeast to the Northern region.
The senator noted that funds have been appropriated for the project at the Senate; adding that what is left is for the Minister of finance to release the funds to the contractor for the project to be completed.
The Senator commended the former Governor of Enugu State, Barr Sullivan Chime for constructing the Enugu – Ugwogo – Opi Road which has turned out to be the only motorable outlet for our people to the North; as the other two are in a very bad Shape.
Intrestingly, he didn’t forget to appreciate the present Governor of the State for awarding a contract for the dualization of the road and numerous other roads in the State.
“If the government is not prepared to make funds available, then it shouldn’t award road projects in the first place,” he said. “And you cannot even talk about economic growth when the roads are bad,”.
Speaking further, Senator Ngwu stated that “the state of roads in the region is part of the reasons why the people feel marginalized and we cannot continue to fold our arms,”.
He went further to say, “if Barr Sullivan Chime did not come to our rescue by constructing the Enugu – Opi road, may be we won’t be travelling to the North again.
Indeed, we appreciate our present Governor, Barr Peter Mbah, for awarding the contract for the dualization of the Enugu – Opi road and many other roads in the State.
We want to use this medium to call on the President to come to our rescue”
Also speaking, a community leader, Dr. Hyacinth Ngwu said that the dilapidated state of the old Enugu-Onitsha road has worsened the state of insecurity across communities, adding that it has become easier for criminals to attack commuters who are often forced to slow down while travelling along the road.
In their separate remarks, some members of the Enugu State House, Hon. Chima Obieze, Hon. Okey Aneke and the Local Government Chairman of Aninri LGA, Hon. Nwanjoku cried out to the Federal Government to do something urgent to put the Federal roads across Enugu State in good shape; as no big truck and even smaller vehicles can venture into the road without telling a bad story.
They extolled the collaboration and synergy between the Governor, the members of the National Assembly and the members of the House of Assembly in the State.
In his reaction, the construction manager for the project, Ahmed Farouk, said that the company’s efforts to get the federal government to release more funds to enable it continue the project has not yielded results.
At the 9th Mile-Orokam road, which stretches across seven communities, from the Ama Breweries at 9th Mile to Ebe, Egede, Amoka, Affa, Umuoka, Ogbede and Opi Nsukka to Makurdi, the Senator urged CHEC to ensure that it completes the project on time.
He said that the dual carriageway is being funded through a joint funding arrangement between Nigeria and China through a Preferential Buyer’s Credit loan from Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM).
“For this project, funding is not an issue because the federal government has fulfilled its part of the bargain,” adding that what is left is for the CHEC to complete the project as soon as possible to ease transportation,”
