Ohafia-Arochukwu Federal Road: Indigenes Decry Deplorable State Of Road

Indigenes of Arochukwu, Ututu, Ihechiowa, Isu and Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, South East Nigeria, have continued to lament over the … Continue reading Ohafia-Arochukwu Federal Road: Indigenes Decry Deplorable State Of Road


ArochukwuuIndigenes of Arochukwu, Ututu, Ihechiowa, Isu and Abam in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, South East Nigeria, have continued to lament over the deplorable state of the Ohafia-Arochukwu Federal Road.

The Indigenes said that the road rehabilitation, which was taken over from PTF by the Federal Ministry of Works under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 1999, has caused economic hardship to indigenes of the communities and also led to underdevelopment in the area over the years because the federal road is the only accessible road that connects Arochukwu to other parts of Abia State.

According to the villagers, the journey from Ohafia to Arochukwu should not be more than 30 minutes, but a drive through the shaggy, tough and rough road, takes more than two hours. A situation which one of the commuters plying the road daily said causes more damage to their cars.

The road was taken up by the Obasanjo Administration from the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) who started it initially and the contractor couldn’t do much until 2012 when the road was re-awarded to another contractor; but 18 months after, the new contractor also has not been able to complete one kilometer.

The villagers further complained that in normal circumstances, the journey to their neighbouring state, Akwa Ibom, takes 30 minutes but due to the bad road, they have to go through Umuahia the state capital, which takes another three to five hours.

One of traditional rulers of the affected communities, Her Royal Majesty, Chinyere Okereke, said that the elites and stakeholders in the community have tried all they could to attract government’s attention but all to no avail.

He appealed to the Federal Government to listen to their plea and come to their aid as it seems his people have been cut off from the entire state and Nigeria as a whole because most commercial farmers in the area no longer produce enough for export to the cities, as vehicles that would convey them were no longer willing to ply the road.

Meanwhile, the South East Director of Highways in the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Godwin Eghrye, said that the problem of non commencement of the road was caused by the contractor who has been mobilised with funds by the Federal Government but has remained slow in the progress of the job, a situation he didn’t understand. He revealed that several meetings have been arranged between his office and the contractor to solve the issue.

He, however, disclosed that the Federal Government would terminate the contract by October if the contractor fails to start something tangible on the road.

He assured the people that the Government would do everything possible to ensure that the road becomes motorable in the nearest and shortest possible time.