By Favour Goodness
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra state to rescue residents of the state from the pain and sufferings from dilapidated Federal and state roads.
The Chairman of CLO Anambra, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme, made the call in Enugu on the bad state of some major roads within Anambra state.
Ezekwueme said that it would be a relief and solidarity to citizenry, commuters and residents if urgent and inevitable emergency rehabilitation of the roads are commenced by both Federal and State governments as palliative measures pending when permanent reconstruction of the roads would commence.
“It is very unfortunate and despicable the pathetic and pitiable condition of Onitsha-Owerri, Nnewi-Uga-Okigwe, 3-3-Otuocha and Awkuzu-Awka-Amansea-Ugwuoba Federal Roads.
“Worthy of mention is 3-3 Nsugbe, Ziks Avenue-Ochanja roundabout, Niger street, Nnobi Awkaetiti -Igboukwu, Ugwuakwu -Ibughubu Umuchu State roads need immediate and indispensable attention it deserved.
“It is an irrefutable truth that if those roads are not rehabilitated during the yuletide it may truncate free flow of citizens to the state in view of the fast-approaching Christmas and New Year celebrations,” he said.
According to him, the deplorable condition of the roads have inflicted sorrow, sufferings, hardship and pains to the citizenry, commuters and residents that transports fares has skyrocketed up to three hundred per cent.
Ezekwueme said that the most painful and pathetic was transport fares from Onitsha to 3-3-Nsugbe-Nkwelle skyrocketed from N150 to N500 on Dec. 5, the situation is the same to Nkpor it increases from N100 t N200
He said: “The drivers attributed the outrageous increase to bad roads, unbridled extortion and exploitation by illegal agents, high cost of spare parts and hyperinflation in the country.
“CLO is of the patriotic opinion that President Buhari should out of his usual magnanimity direct his Minister of Work and Housing, Hon. Babatunde Fashola and Federal Roads Maintenance Agency to commence urgent and immediate palliative works on the roads.
“Gov. Obiano also should urgently direct his Commissioner For Work and Anambra State Roads Maintenance Agency to commence inexorable rehabilitation of roads to ensure peaceful, harmonious and joyful Christmas and New Year celebrations and free flow of traffic, citizenry and goods and services in this yuletide period and beyond”.
The chairman also appealed to transporters and petroleum marketers, not to arbitrary increase transport fares and petroleum prices this season going with the spirit of Christmas.
