Joe Effiong, Uyo
No less than 20 people are said to have lost their lives on a local bridge in the Mbo local government area of Akwa Ibom State. The bridge is reportedly abandoned and has been disused for about 20 years, a state lawmaker said.
The only All Progressives Congress (APC) member in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Chief Effiong Johnson, who raised this alarm through a press release made available to Daily Sun by his media aide, Mr Nero Ating, said the history of the bridge has spanned three state administrations.
Johnson, representing Mbo State Constituency in the state house of assembly, has called on Governor Udom Emmanuel and other relevant agencies within and outside the state to help reconstruct the deplorable bridge in Udesi village community of Mbo local government area.
According to him, the bridge is the only access that links the people of Ebughu, Enwang, Uda, Udesi communities all in Mbo local government area with Urueoffong/Oruko local government down to East West road.
‘The bridge has been abandoned for more 20 years and it needs an immediate intervention by the state government and other relevant agencies due to the negative effects it has on the people,’ he said.
‘We have recorded not less than 20 deaths while trying to cross the dilapidated bridge. Our women cannot cross to their farms again and businesses in the area are all shut down due to poor access roads.
‘It would be recalled that in 2000 I drew the attention of the then governor of our dear state, His Excellency Arch. Obong Victor Attah, who came with his cabinet members to inspect the road down to where we have the bridge and promised constructing it for us. He again promised the community during his re-election campaign in 2003.
‘It breaks my heart every time I visit my village and witness what my people have to go through on a daily basis because of the dead-trap,’ Johnson lamented.
The lawmaker said he has now taken up the responsibility of grading of some feeder roads in his local government area; explaining that the new roads are expected to cut across nine villages that make up Udesi community.
He noted that the exercise has the potentialities of revamping all sort of economic activities in the area as it would ease transportation of goods and services within and beyond the community.