Drivers Decry Poor Condition Of Etche-Ngo-Okpala Road

Commercial drivers in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday staged a peaceful protest at Okomoko to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the deplorable state of the Etche-Ngo-Okpala federal road.
The chief driver of the association, Chief Alex Nweke, while speaking to newsmen at Okomoko town, expressed hope that the five-hour protest would attract the attention of both the federal and state governments to the road.
According to him, the aim of the protest was to tell the Federal Government that Etche Local Government Area remained an integral part of the federal unit and therefore deserved equal opportunity and attention given to other parts of the country.
“We passionately appeal that the Federal Government should come to our aid by fixing the road, which links Rivers State, Imo and Abia States.”
He said that the road had become a death trap, as drivers and passengers were always harassed, raped, robbed and kidnapped by men of the underworld due to slow movement occasioned by the bad road.
A driver John Okere, who spoke to our correspondent, said that the rate at which vehicles broke down on the road vis a vis the cost of maintenance was unbearable, stressing that if the road was rehabilitated, it would cost them less to maintain their vehicles.
Another driver, Mr. Linus Nwankwo, also told The Tide that drivers lost several business hours and income due to potholes and bad condition of the road and therefore appealed to the Federal Government to take immediate action to remedy the road.