Forgotten Enugu communities lament the deplorable condition of their link road

…Contractor abandoned site after earthworksBy Chinedu Adonu For the people of Amufie, Ugbaike and Inyi communities in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, the deplorable state of the major road linking them is a source of serious concern. It is negatively affecting their social and economic life. Rather than being a source of economic lifeline for the agrarian communities, the road has turned into a source of frustration due to its condition resulting from years of neglect and abandonment.

640-kilometer access road linking the three agrarian communities was awarded in 2020 by the Enugu State Government. The road also connects the communities to some part of Obollo-Afor up to the Abuja highway. The award of the contract had raised the hope of the people that it would help to transform the communities’ transportation, boost their agriculture produce, improve trade and life generally.

That hope is shattered with the abandonment of the road. For over six years, the road project remains abandoned after the earth work, exposing it to fast deterioration. Today, deep gullies, stagnant water and failed sections have replaced the optimism that greeted the project.

Heavy-duty trucks diverted from the dilapidated Obollo Afor-Abuja highway plying the unfinished road helped to accelerate its collapse, leaving residents worried that the route may soon become impassable. A visit by SEV to the road showed the road in a deplorable condition such that motorcycle riders even find it difficult to meander through, especially on a day it rained, as the road is flooded on several portions, with washed-out laterite surfaces and drainage channels unable to withstand increasing traffic. For the predominantly farming communities, the road is more than a transportation corridor; it is an economic artery linking farms to markets and connecting rural residents to neighbouring communities of Benue State and the Federal Capital Territory.

A community leader from Ugbaike, Mr. Michael Ugwu, described the road as one of the most important rural links in the area. According to him, the previous administration completed the earthwork and some drainage before leaving office, raising hopes that the present administration would complete the asphalt phase.

“This road connects our communities with Udenu, Benue and the Abuja highway.