The government of Anambra State under the Chukwuma Soludo administration appears on a path to create a record in the length of road constructed. This is according to investigation conducted by 247ureports.com which shows the Soludo administration to be on a trajectory that will surpass the road construction of the two previous administration of Peter Obi and Willie Obiano.
According to available records, the Peter Obi administration, in eight [8] years constructed an estimated total of 710kilometers of linearized road equivalent to 88.75kilometers per year – and the Willie Obiano administration, in eight [8] years constructed an estimated total of 430kilometers of linearized road equivalent to 53.75kilometers per year. In total, the two previous administration constructed a combined average of 142.5kilometers of road per year while totaling 1140kilometers for the sixteen [16] years in office.
Data received from the State Ministry of Works in Awka the capital of Anambra State indicates the Soludo administration have completed the construction of over 110kilometers of linearized roads – and it is on schedule to complete additional 146kilometers of road within the coming six [6] months. At the end of the six months, the Soludo administration would have completed 256kilometers of road – equivalent to 170.76kilometers of road per year. See table below for the data.
Worthy of mention was the insecurity conditions that had marred smooth governance in Anambra State and the south east geo-political region in general. Shortly following the gubernatorial election in Anambra State of November 2021, the insecurity intensified and worsened following Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s swearing-in to the Governor’s seat in March 2022. This was caused by the attempt to enforce the Monday sit-at-home initially put in place by the sympathizers of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in protest of his detention by the federal government of Nigeria. It led to sustained bloodshed and killings of Nigerian security officials and elected officials. Thus, causing significant slowdown in the execution of government projects. Contractors were unable to freely engage and execute road projects.
Interestingly, the Soludo administration is the first administration to receive the 13% crude oil derivative normally reserved for oil producing State. Between July 2022 when Anambra State receiving the 13% derivation fund and December 2022 [6months], the Soludo administration received N4.26billion. None of the previous administration had received 13% derivation fund. Within the first ten [10] months of the arrival of the Soludo administration, it received a warping sum of 130billion in its treasury. A record setting sum.
The bumper harvest may have enabled the Soludo administration to construct solid road networks with standards similar to international levels.
Also worthy of note is the quality of the road constructed by the three administrations which differed significantly.
The roads constructed during the Peter Obi administration were generally viewed as significantly substandard and not as sternly constructed as the roads constructed during the Obiano administration or the present Soludo administration. Many of the 710kilometer roads constructed during the Peter Obi have experienced severe degradation. Many have become unmotorable.
The current Soludo administration is reported to have extracted a 25year guarantee agreement from the road contractor for each of the roads currently being executed in Anambra State. The guarantee agreement stipulates the roads will last a minimum of 25years. Failure to reach the 25years, the contractor will bear the associated cost incurred in redoing the affected roads.
