Wed Jun, 15 2011
Nze Nwabueze Akabogu (JP)

The Enugu-Onitsha dual carriage high way was constructed about thirty years ago to facilitate the socio-economic activities of the people of the old Anambra State, now Enugu and Anambra States, as well as other Nigerians who daily ply the ever busy high way. The construction of the high way which was embarked upon by the former President Shehu Shagari’s administration became a subject of misguided opposition and political vendetta by some highly placed Nigerians who vehemently opposed the project on the ground that the proximity from Enugu to Onitsha was too short a distance (104 km) to warrant the construction of the dual carriage way hence in their myopic thinking the project was a misplaced priority on the part of the Federal Government.

Nevertheless, work on the project commenced in earnest and two renowned foreign construction firms were subsequently awarded the contract with the completion period of about thirty six months. An Israeli firm – the Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) - was awarded the contract from the Enugu end to Oji River end while an Italian firm – The Loggiani Construction Company was awarded the contract job from the Oji River end up to the Onitsha Niger bridge.

However, it is a sad commentary that this ever busy highway, which was constructed primarily to enhance the socio-economic wellbeing of the people, has now become a monumental tragedy and a nightmare to the people due to its criminal neglect and insensitivity by successive Federal governments. It is no gainsaying the fact that the Enugu-Onitsha highway is one of the busiest highways in the country in view of the heavy vehicular traffic that daily plies the route. The highway has long become a death trap to motorists hence many fatal auto-accidents with the attendant loss of precious lives and properties worth millions of naira occur daily on the highway due to the present deplorable condition of the road.

However, in its genuine desire to put a stop to the daily carnage on the highway, the Federal Government, in apparent response to the cry and numerous representations made by the people about two years ago or thereabout, awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the Expressway to two supposedly “foreign firms”.

The contract for the project from the Onitsha Niger bridge head to Amansea end was awarded to CCC while the contract from Amansea end to the 9th mile corner Ngwo was also awarded to NigerCat Company. The contract from the 9th mile corner Ngwo to Enugu was equally awarded to CCC.

It is a matter of great regret, therefore, that after more than two years of the contract, no appreciable result was achieved on the road reconstruction as work on the project was carried out on a snail speed ever since resulting in yet many avoidable fatal auto-accidents which often claimed many innocent lives and loss of valuable properties worth millions of naira. Commuters who ply the road are daily subjected to untold hardship and unimaginable trauma and the life span of the vehicles that daily ply the highway has drastically been reduced to almost zero point due to the deplorable condition of the highway. As at the time of writing this piece, work on the entire stretch of the highway from Enugu to Onitsha had stopped and the two construction firms had since abandoned their sites and removed their equipment from the highway. The rains are already with us and the fate of many commuters who daily ply the highway is presently hanging on the balance, thus the consequences of this criminal neglect and insensitivity on the part of the relevant authorities could  better be described than imagined.

It is with the highest sense of responsibility and without any fear of contradiction that this writer make bold to affirm that the blame for this inhuman and unpardonable treatment meted out to the people by this ugly situation lay squarely on the doorsteps of the members of the recently dissolved National Assembly from both Enugu and Anambra States. It is the sacred responsibility of the elected members of the National Assembly to protect the interest and general wellbeing of their people at all times in accordance with the oath of office they swore to uphold on assumption of their sacred mandate.

It is the contention of this writer, therefore, that if the members of the outgone National Assembly had worked in collaboration with both the Enugu and Anambra State governments and made strong and persistent representations to the Federal government on the deplorable condition of the highway since the highway in question is the exclusive responsibility of the Federal government,  the present situation could have since been remedied. The people, no doubt, would have been saved the unimaginable agony and untold hardship they were subjected to all these years. One of the central tenents of democracy is for the elected representatives of the people to work for the common good of the greatest number of the people.

The present pathetic condition of the Enugu-Onitsha Highway under which commuters are daily subjected to unbearable hardship, definitely calls for urgent and decisive action by the two neighbouring State governments and therefore this writer hereby urges both State governments of Enugu and Anambra to handle the current situation with the highest sense of responsibility and act with utmost dispatch to save the people from further agonizing and traumatic experience on the death trap called the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway. They should immediately call the attention of the Federal Authorities with a view to ordering the run-away contractors back to site to complete the reconstruction work on the highway as speedily as possible in the overall interest of the suffering masses who daily ply the ever busy highway. A common adage says that a stitch in time saves nine.

http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=35589

Shame, shame, shame.