CSO Decries Poor Federal Roads In South-East

A civil society organisation, the Campaign for Democracy (CD) has decried the deplorable condition of  federal highways within the South-East zone.

This is contained in statement jointly signed by the Chairman of the organisation in South-East, Mr Uzor Uzor and the Secretary, Dr Jerry Chukwuokolo in Onitsha, Anambra State.

“Statistics show that out of about 8,750 kilometres of federal roads in the country; the South-East has about 3,480 kilometres.

“And only about 980 kilometres are motorable, while over 2,500 kilometres are death traps and near-to-hell ditches,’’ the statement stated.

According to the statement, federal roads in the region are deadly potholes and extended ditches.

“In the last two years, from February 2010 to date, over 1, 223 innocent lives had been lost as a result of ghastly motor accidents associated with bad roads within the zone.

“The bad roads claimed 82 lives in a day, which included 20 school children going on excursion in September 2010 when a fuel-laden tanker exploded at Odumodu-Umunya junction on the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Road.’’

The CD called on President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a state-of-emergency on South-East roads, especially the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Road and the Aba-Port Harcourt Road.

“A journey, which should take less than 30 minutes from Onitsha to Awka or from Aba to Port Harcourt now takes about three hours 20 minutes due to the deplorable condition of the roads.’’

The organisation also urged the Federal Government to re-award the contract of the abandoned Owerri-Amaifeke-Mgbee-Orlu Road.

It said that the road and Ferdinand Oil factory had been submerged by erosion, noting: “the road was abandoned in 1983 by construction companies.’’