In Nigeria, roads are categorized as federal, state or local, with each handled by the appropriate government responsible for it. But in most states, because of the absence of elected local council administrations, state governments also do local roads. Yet, sometimes, states also do federal roads and await reimbursement and this comes after they must have obtained permission to do so, to ensure that such roads are built according to federal government’s standards.
But in exceptional cases, such as where portions of federal roads have gone bad in some states, such state governments often carry out palliative work on them to ease movement for users of the road. The argument is usually that such roads are used by the citizens and residents of the concerned states.
One of such roads in Anambra State is the one near the Amawbia Flyover in Awka, on the side from where those leaving the capital city of Awka use. This road has previously been tackled by the Anambra State Government but because the job was shabby, the bad portions of the road immediately collapsed, causing grief for road users whose vehicles often get stuck in the many potholes.
The situation on that road has been worsened by the presence of a police checkpoint which sees the police causing traffic jams while attempting to stop and search vehicles. In the busy hours of the day, especially in the mornings and nights, when people go to work and come back from same, traffic gridlocks are often formed, especially when heavy or articulated vehicles get stuck under the bridge.
This is caused by the long delay by the federal government in finishing work on the right side of the Enugu-Onitsha Express Road, coming from Awka. This causes vehicles to squeeze themselves under the bridge rather than going over it. But that is not all. The terrible condition of the portion of the road leading to the flyover is a nightmare for road users. The potholes have gradually turned to craters and whenever it rains, some vehicles get stuck there because the drivers are unable to ascertain the depth of the crater-like potholes.
The intriguing thing is that the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and his executive members; including the state legislators, pass there almost on a daily basis. So, why hasn’t the governor deemed it fit to fix that bad portion of the road? Why haven’t the house members sponsored a motion to call for serious palliative measures on that portion of road?
Although it is a federal road, the state government had earlier carried out satisfactory palliative work on the portion of road at Immigration Junction, Awka. If they could do that, what stops them from replicating it at the Amawbia portion of the road? If the state government cannot do it, why don’t they contact the Federal Ministry of Works with office domiciled in the state to do it?
As the rainy season gathers momentum, that portion of road has continued to worsen and the continued inaction of the Anambra State Government is no longer funny. Soludo should therefore, fix the bad portion of the road there and allow the road users to breathe easy.
