Nnewi community protests dilapidated road infrastructure despite billionaires in town

Sends SOS  to Soludo, FG

 

Maduako Igbokwe l Sunday, February 5, 2023

 

NNEWI, Anambra, Nigeria – Indigenes of Uruagu-Nnewi community in Nnewi North local government area of Anambra state on Saturday took to the streets to protest alleged dilapidated road infrastructure in the area.

The protesters, who were majorly youths and elderly men, displayed placards bearing different inscriptions depicting their annoyance over alleged neglect of roads in the area.

Some of the placards read: “Nnewi community has suffered a lot due to bad road network;” “kidnaping and robbery are rampant in our community as a result of bad roads;” “Buhari, Governor Soludo, please, come to our help;” “Religious leaders and prominent people in our community should not be silent on the state of our roads;” among other things.

Leader of the protesters, Mr. Obiora Okeke, said that several roads in the area, especially the Nnewi-Oba old road, and St. John of the Cross Catholic Church axis in particular has become a death trap that has consumed a lot of people in the recent past.

He said, “Several roads in Nnewi, the commercial nerve center of Anambra state and the supposed Japan of Africa, have become ghosts of their own selves. Majority of the roads are completely dilapidated and in states of disrepair.

“Vehicles no longer ply most of the roads in Nnewi. In rainy seasons, traders from outside Nnewi hardly come here to transact businesses because of bad roads. Vehicles that dare come in rainy seasons hardly go back the same way they come.

“The worst aspect is that armed robbers and kidnappers take advantage of bad roads in the commercial city to unleash mayhem on members of the public, especially strangers. We’ve recorded many kidnap and robbery cases on these bad spots. The other day, a woman and two young men were halted and kidnapped in front of St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, Nnewi, because of bad road.”

Okeke, who noted that majority of the bad roads are federal government roads, urged concerned authorities to do necessary interventions on the said roads, in order to avert further calamities.

Youth leader of Uruagu-Nnewi community, Hon. Ejike Ifejiofor, on his own, called on government, church authorities and prominent people in the community to intervene on the state of roads in the area.

Another indigene of the community, Marcel Ifeachor, called on the senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator (Dr.) Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah; the member representing Nnewi North and Nnewi South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chris Emeka Azubogu; who are both indigenes of Nnewi, to attract federal presence to the roads.

He also called on billionaire industrialists such as Dr. Innocent Chukwuma (INNOSON); Dr. Cletus Ibeto of the Ibeto Group; Dr. Chika Okafor (Chikason); Dr Chosmas Maduka (Choscharis); as well as Dr. Ajulu Uzodike (Cutix cables), among others, who are indigenes of Nnewi to do something fast about the state of roads in the community.

According to him, “Any community having these caliber of men as its sons should not be complaining about bad roads.”