Bad roads, erosion: Anambra
royal father weeps as domain
suffers untold hardship
From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
When a monarch cries, his subjects must have been
wailing to the high heavens because it is very unusual
for a monarch to cry.
This is the case for the Igwe of Igbo-Ukwu, His Royal
Highness, Igwe (Dr) Martin Ezeh in Aguata Local
Government Area of Anambra State, who recently
cried out in an emotion-laden voice for the federal
and state governments to come to the rescue of his
people who have been cut off by dilapidated road
network and flood disaster.
In Igbo-Ukwu, which has one of the biggest local
markets in West Africa, several federal institutions
are sited there.
The town has houses the National Gallery of Arts,
Centre for Black and African Arts and Culture, the Yam
House, and Old People’s Home and Botanic Garden.
They are sited in Igbo-Ukwu because of its historical
importance which stretches back into antiquity as the
origin of all migrants, including the Igbo race,
according to history.
But this ancient community, which is the home town
of the first civilian Governor of Anambra State, Dr
Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who did his bit in his own time,
has suffered neglect in the hands of successive
administrations in Anambra before Governor Willie
Obiano came in with little or no significant change so
far.
Apart from a lot of dilapidated infrastructure or non-
availability of them, the major concern of the Igbo-
Ukwu people now is the state of Nnobi-Awka-Etiti-
Igbo-Ukwu-Ekwulobia road.
The road in Igbo-Ukwu connects Imo and Abia states
and these are federal roads.
There is a particular portion of the road from Awka-
Etiti axis that cuts across the entrance to the palace
of the Igwe of Igbo-Ukwu, which is now completely
impassable even on foot, especially when it rained.
Motorists and other road users now have to divert into
village track roads to burst into Nkwo Igbo-Ukwu
market in order to avoid the portion of the road that
has constituted a death trap.
The Igwe said that many lives have already been lost
on the road because of its dilapidation.
“That road has been a torn on our flesh. It has been
bad for quite some time now and I have drawn the
attention of the Anambra State government to it
severally. When Mr Peter Obi was the governor, I
drew his attention to it on six several occasions, but
nothing was done. Governor Willie Obiano has come
to see it, but unfortunately nothing serious has been
done to address the problem.
“We learnt that the governor did not agree with the
Federal Government. We do not know what actually
the problem is. You know this is a federal road and it
is now abandoned. I think what Governor Obiano
should have done is to do the road and may be
present his bill to the Federal Government instead of
leaving it in this state. We are terribly suffering.
Besides, we are still grappling with erosion menace in
our community. A lot of houses have been pulled
down in some villages within my domain by flood
because of the bad road. When it rains, flood
overflows the drainages resulting in the destruction of
domestic animals, cash crops, economic trees and
household property. We are finished. We appeal to
both the federal and state governments to come to our
rescue urgently. We have used the little resources we
have to control the flood to no avail,” the Igwe
lamented.
Igwe Ezeh wondered why his community would be
neglected and subjected to hardship despite its
traditional and archeological importance in Anambra.
The traditional ruler said he had been restraining the
youths of the area who were boiling not to take laws
into their hands.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/bad-roads-erosion-anambra-royal-father-weeps-as-domain-suffers-untold-hardship/

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