Ebonyi residents have condemned in strong terms what they described as a total negligence to the feeder roads especially at the community level in the state and those connecting them with their neighbouring states.
Dr. Joseph Nkwede, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Ebonyi State University gave this condemnation in an interview with our correspondent in Abakaliki.
He said that in his Igbeagu Community in Izzi Local Government Area of the state, "there is no motorable road due to lack of government presence."
"When we talk about feeder roads in Nigeria, especially at the community level, I come from Igbeagu Autonomous community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, and for over a decade now, there's no government presence in that community. There is no motorable road," Nkwede stated.
He however, urged government to come to the plights of the people, by beginning to have attention on the feeder roads, where most of agricultural products are being harvested.
Lending his voice, the immediate past member of Directors, Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority, Hon James Nwite commended Governor David Umahi's led administration in building quality roads in the state especially in the urban areas since his assumption of office in 2015.
He said the state governor's recent award of the Abakaliki ring roads will help to reduce the harsh experiences road users normally encounter in the hinterlands.
"Even though our ring roads and those linking the grassroot areas are in bad condition but our governor in few days ago, awarded them. The ring roads since it was constructed by Jim Nwobodo has never received government intervention. Its dilapidated nature since thirty eight years now, is what caught the attention of our governor, Engr David Nweze Umahi to award the roads to mitigate the hard experiences of those plying the routes," Nwite said.
Comparing Ebonyi roads to that of the neighbouring states, Nwite said that "Governor Umahi has changed the ugly experiences of the road users or commutters in Ebonyi, unlike other states like Abia, part of Benue where bad roads take over the vicinities even in the capital cities."
He also observed that, "bad roads have indeed affected farmers badly at the communit level for many years ago. For instance, in my place, Ndiegu Ishieke, we are known for farming, and we have different markets where people come from near and far to buy yams, garri, rice, maize, palm oil, fruits and other goods, most of them are farm produce.
"But these people are complaining a lot because of bad roads. It's good that government should equally consider the construction of the roads especially those at the grassroot areas as one of its priorities. Also, road maintenance should be considered paramount by the government."
Further, the Executive Director of Neighborhood Environment Watch Foundation, Dr Kelechukwu Okozie noted that "in the South East, our road networks are very poor. Most of our roads have collapsed. Enugu-Onitsha road is impassable. Enugu-Port Harcourt road is impassable. And we can't talk about other feeder and state roads.
"To some extent in Ebonyi State, we have good road network. It doesn't mean that roads in other parts of South East are in good condition. This is one of the things fueling the separatist agitations. There are roads so much collapsed that you travel three hours without reaching your destination.
"There are some states, the governors are inactive. We are appealing that the Federal government to have a consideration for the Southeastern roads. If they have awarded contract, let them do effective monitoring and supervision so that the roads will really come back to normalcy. It is because with bad roads, farmers and industries can't thrive."
Okozie also narrated: "Recently, I came back from Lagos and I have to drive through Ehamufu to Abakaliki, we got a point, the junction between Ebonyi and Enugu States, from that axis, the community people now mounted a road block, while filling up sand on the areas being abandoned.
"And drivers paid 500 Naira for them to be allowed to access that road. The question is that why should it be so? It is an inter-state road by Nkalagu, a straight cut from Abakaliki to Nsuka, some part of the road has collasped but the community people now started exploiting from the commutters for having embarked on the state and Federal government job.
"There is corruption on highway by the police, Road Safety Corps, VIO, and even robbers, these are affecting commutting badly in Nigeria. Infact, travelling from one place to another is becoming very challenging. The government should repair the roads and take these out from there from exploiting the commutters."
Also, Collins Andrew Ofoke, a Staff of Judicial System Commission, National Industrial Court lamented bad state of his community roads.
"In my community there is no good road, and it's too bad to the extend that the pedestrians find it difficult to pass through it. The roads precisely in Ishieke Community is unbearable. Since I was born no government presence on Idenyi Nwonu road, which links to Idoma Ogbodo road connecting Ishieke, Nduegu and Onuenyim Ishieke community with Benue State.
"Our people are complaining bitterly because the dilapidated nature of our roads. Our governor on his assumption of office, first began work on one of our roads called Nwiboko Obodo road linking Ndiebor Ishieke community to Mbeke Ishieke community and to the Benue State but as I'm talking to you, the said Nwiboko Obodo road has not been completed, still the contractor has packed out from the site. It's only in Ishieke Community that you will still see wooden bridges on the major roads and these have been posing a great threat to lives and property of those plying the routes.
"Our people are farmers and the bad road networks remain their major challenges while transporting their farm produce to their homes or markets.
"It's just currently that the state governor awarded ring roads of Nwofe to Ezzamgbo, and work has not commenced. This doesn't mean that the internal roads in Mbeke DC, Nduegu Ishieke and other communities including Agelegu have received government intervention to mitigate the hardship our people are experiencing in these areas, because of the bad road networks. We really need governments' intervention in our communities, that's where the problem lies. We have many forgotten roads in our area since the creation of the state."
While comparing his community roads to others, Ofoke said: "Where I can compare the kind of bad roads we have in our communities, is that of Ado Local Government Area of Benue State. They are equivalent to the ones I just mentioned. If you move to the road in Ado connecting to Alodo to Oturukpo, you will see that the road is not good. If you come to Ebonyi part, you will see that the road connecting Ogbala to Nwori Nduobashi and Onuenyim is not good too.
"In those places where the roads are good, those plying the routes are usually exploited of their hard earned incomes by the deployed road workers. It's not as if the road workers use the road to make money because having known that without repairing the roads, the farmers will not evacuate their farm produce."
Romanus Ibina, a motor driver, Mrs Regina Nwoguzor, a farmer and Ifeanyi Nwafor, a commercial cyclist, among others said that Ebonyi roads in the capital city are currently in good condition following the intervention of the present administration in the state, but many of our sources who preferred their names not be published, still complained of a deplorable nature of the feeder roads especially in their communities, exposing the users to different harsh experiences..
