Fix Bad S’Eastern Roads, Iwuanyanwu Tells FG

A businessman, Chief
Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has appealed to the Federal Government to repaIr failed roads across the country, especially, those in the South-East geo-political zone.
In an interview with newsmen in Owerri, Iwuanyanwu said several roads in South-East Nigeria were in deplorable conditions and adversely affecting businesses in the area.
“The roads in the South-East region are bad and the heavy rains this year even made the situation worst.
“Government should release money for the repair of these roads alongside other roads begging for attention outside the zone now that we are approaching the dry season.
“I will also use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government to resume work on the second River Niger Bridge, .and revive the railway lines within the South-East zone to ease di fficulties faced by businessmen”, he said.
According to him, the deplorable state of road infrastructure in the zone requires the urgent attention of the Federal Government.
“There is no state in the South-East region that does not have serious prohlem of road,” he said.
Iwuanyanwu said that the South-East people were largely entrepreneurs and business people whose businesses depended on good road network and other infrastructure to thrive.
“These business owners pay custom duties. taxes and Value Added Tax (VAT) which form the bulk of government revenue.
“It will be nice that when government wants to spend its revenue. it considers the interest of peoplc from the areas the revenues are generated from”, he said.
Iwuanyanwu also advised President Muhammadu Buhari to consider splitting the Ministry of Works, Power, and Housing so as to ensure due attention to roads and other infrastrucutre.
“The Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, is a very efficient person who performed well as the Governor of Lagos State. But for him to superintend over these three key areas at the federal level is too big for result”, he said.
Iwuanyanwu, a professional civil engineer, also urged heads of governemnt to always appoint trained engineers as commissioners and minsiters of works so as to address several problems plaguing the construction sector.