Yes, of a truth, Anambra State is blessed with a fair share of interconnecting and intraconnecting tarred roads. From Umunze to Amaokpala, from Awgbu through Umuawulu to Awka. Or is it from Awka to Enugwu Ukwu through to Nnewi and up to Ihiala. EKWULOBIA to Umuchu. Anambra has good interconnecting roads. From Igbariam to Umueri. The roads are tarred and most have good and clear waterways. The only catch 22 is the poor maintenance culture.
I was traveling to Ajalli with my friend and his wife recently. We took that Agu Awka route through Venn Road, then we diverted to Isiagu through Umuawulu to Amaokpala, then Ndiowu, and Ufuma before Ajalli finally. The roads were just clement. Driving through these places mentioned felt like slicing a blade through butter. That is when you ignore the several annoying bumps and a few pot holes which looked ignored by the road maintenance authority.
My friends who were migrants from Imo State were quick to comment glowingly of the rich share of good roads Anambra State enjoys unlike their state. We spent like 8 minutes bantering over which of the governors among Ngige, Obi and Obiano that constructed more roads in Anambra State.
But we were of the conclusion that indeed maintenance culture of the state leaves much to be desired. I’m not judging the Soludo administration just yet. Already he has been up and about on Anambra roads; maintenance and construction wise.
Yet, there are protracted pot holes and other forms of road erosions screaming for attention and the ministry in charge of road maintenance need to wake up to her duty and declare a state of emergency on these pot holes.
Take that road that leads from Ukwu Aki, off Ifite Road in Awka to Ukwu Orji, Behind Government House. Just when the Soludo administration assumed office and that young man, Osita Onuko, was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Anambra Capital Development Agency, a show of maintenance happened on that road which was so horrible then. Our hopes went high when we saw all the heavy duty vehicles on the road and certain lines being drawn around the potholes, because it happened to be our route on a daily. But a year later, the road is in even worse shape and there are still no signs that the government is interested in it. The heavy duty vehicles have since disappeared as quickly as they appeared and the lines have since disappeared. The potholes have since widened and cars’ suspensions go through the worst treatment on the said road.
Note that this is the road that leads to behind government house and as a result most of government ministries. What a shame.
The story is the same in many other parts of the state where erosion is destroying our tarred roads at installments and the authorities ignore them. Maybe they are waiting for the roads to get noticeably bad and maybe cause major accidents before they start attending to them. Maybe, then, they would make more kickbacks from the contract.
What a sin thing.
Nobody is talking about the economic leakage this is posing with the resultant vehicular breakdown it causes. Bad road does. Oyi akwa awu aru mara onwe ya. Let us do our own quota in achieving that clean, green and liveable Anambra State Professor Soludo envisions.
@ostareze
