Rivers State Government has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the repair of the East-West road, especially a failed portion on the Akpabo-Eleme axis, which it said  constitutes “a death trap and huge embarrassment to Nigeria.”

 Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Emma Okah, in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday, said the failed Akpajo-Eleme axis of the East West road leads to critical economic infrastructure, such as the OIl and Gas Free Zone, Onne, Indorama Petrochemical and fertilizer companies, Port Harcourt refinery, Eleme refinery, among others.

Okah regretted that “while other federal roads in the country receive fair attention of the federal government, the East-West road remains neglected, abandoned and left to further deteriorate.”

Okah further said government’s failure to rehabilitate the road made the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration to, in collaboration with some stakeholders, raise funds “to stabilise the portion of the road with the expectation that the federal government will take a cue from there.

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“Unfortunately, and as it has been our lot in this administration, the federal government of Nigeria neither appreciated these patriotic efforts and sacrifices of the state government and the other contributors nor repaired the road.”

“The East-West road has become a source of anguish to the people of Rivers state, and our lamentations have only fallen on deaf ears.

“The deep decay of the road has resulted in huge loss of man hours, accidents involving trucks and loss of property and human lives, which could have been avoided by repairing this axis of the road.”

The commissioner urged the federal government to put an end to what he called the “insensitivity” and repair the road, which he said “is the most economically strategic road in the Niger Delta.”