By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The combined forces of heavy flood and erosion gully have cut off one lane of the every-busy Onitsha-Owerri Road in Anambra State posing a huge danger to unaware road users and constraining drivers to one lane from the point of the cut off.
The life-threatening condition, which came to be following the recent state-wide downpour, occurred around the Ozubulu axis of the road, just before the Head Office of the Sea Horse Lubricants Industries Ltd.
This was corroborated by videos from the scene, currently trending on social media, showing the field portion of the road, as well as the condition of the said erosion gully, as was shared by a concerned citizen.
The concerned citizen individual, in the video, drew the attention of the members of the public, especially night travellers and speeding drivers, to the current situation of the road, while also calling on everyone plying the road to be cautious, to avoid any tragedy.
It was also observed in the video that one of the barricades that demarcated the road in the past was caved-in by the erosion gull during the said heavy downpour.
When contacted on Friday by this reporter, Izunna Okafor, the Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Engr. Ifeanyi Okoma, confirmed the development and said that the government was already aware of the situation. He revealed that team from his ministry had also visited the scene, for an on-the-spot of the situation assessment.
While revealing that the road is a federal road, Commissioner Okoma said the Federal Government had been notified and was already aware of the condition of the road, and had also awarded the contract, with assurance that works will kick-off there anytime soon.
“The Road has been awarded by the Federal Government, so they’ve assured us that they will start work there soon,” he stated.
Concerning the recurring flooding along the Ogidi axis of the Awka-Onitsha (Old) Road, where Governor Chukwuma Soludo also recently visited, Commissioner Okoma, who gave an overview of the situation, recounted that the state government had already completed the phase-1 and phase-2 of the project, from Idemili River in Obosi to Owelle-Aja, and from Owella-Aja to the Inland Door, remaining the 3rd phase, to Ogidi.
“We’re now going to do the the 3rd phase, to Ogidi,” he said, while also noting that the designs have been completed.
Watch the video from the scene of the road cut-off below:
