Ndi-Igbo United Forum has decried the deplorable state of federal roads in the South East region.
In an open letter to the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, signed by Board of Trustee Chairman of the forum worldwide, Chinedu Mba, the group said: “What we have in South East, is completely below all known standards.”
It said if the federal roads are not rehabilitated, they would be come death traps, perpetually endangering the road users.
The minister’s attention was drawn to the state of the Arochukwu-Ikot Ekpene road, the Okigwe-Owerri road, Enugu-Onitsha road, stressing that “virtually all the federal roads in South East, are in complete comatose state.”
The group wants the minster to note that “road networks constitute a major visible sign of infrastructuredevelopment” yet “what we have in South East is completely below all known standards.
The only federal road in a fair condition is just one lane of Port Harcourt-Enugu road, where good repair works is still ongoing courtesy of SUKUK Fund.
“Injustice, unhealthy favouritism, apparent and real neglect of a major zone have all distilled into justified anger and agitation among Ndigbo, especially the youths, adding “the frustration the people are experiencing is part of the reasons our youths are agitating. They say the South East is being treated like an outcast.”
While appealing to the minister to give speedy attention to the bad state of roads in the region, it noted that “when justice and fairness is consolidated, speedy national growth is also being encouraged.”