Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Human Rights, Liberty Access, and Defenders, Peace Foundation (HURIDE) has decried the deplorable state of the Anambra State end of the Onitsha-Owerri road, describing it as a death trap where a lot of vehicles had fallen and many lives lost.
The group appealed to the Federal Government and Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State as a matter of urgency to repair the Upper Iweka section of Onitsha-Owerri Road which has become a death trap where articulated vehicles fall on a regular basis, injuring and killing innocent souls.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of HURIDE, and Secretary, Mr Noel Udoji, also decried the lackadaisical attitude of the governor towards rehabilitating federal roads in the state.
They said his claim that it is a federal road and he would not be reimbursed if he rehabilitate the road, does not hold water because 90 percent of the users of are the Anambra people he swore to provide good governance for.
The group said: “The state of decayed infrastructure in the state shows that the people of Anamtbra State have entered one chance by electing Obiano as our governor.
“It is surprising that a governor who has lived in the first world: US, and ought to have domesticated his experience and governance in Anambra State has joined the same Nigerian lack-lustre style of governance.”
Continuing the group said “we expect him to bring modern infrastructure such as rail, airport, good roads, water, good healthcare, employment, quality education, security, and many others.”
The group commended the police from Okpoko and Awada police stations, federal road safety personnel and members of the public for rescuing those who were trapped last Wednesday by an articulated vehicle at the bad portion of the Onitsha-Owerri road.
The group said that was the 8th time in six months heavy vehicles would fall on the people, keke, and vehicles in the same spot.
“We want to commend the promptness and urgency on the part of the senior police officers, who swiftly moved their men to rescue the victims and took them to the hospital. This shows we still have officers and men who are dedicated to the society,” the group stated.