New Telegraph

Bearing the burden of development

The people of Nnung Udoe, Ediene Ikot Obio Imo in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom are currently unhappy with the state of the road passing through the community. The road, built seven years ago, is now bearing heavy traffic following the diversion to the area as a result of ongoing flyover construction. TONY ANICHEBE, in Uyo, reports that the residents want the state government to intervene

The Village Head of Nnung Udoe, Ediene Ikot Obio Imo in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Eteidung Augustine Edwin Udoh, has threatened to mobilize to block access in and out of the area if no maintenance is effected as soon as possible.

The village head said the community has suffered untold hardship and has witnessed frequent cases of accident since the community’s roads were opened to the public as alternative, following a blockage occasioned by the ongoing flyover at Ekom Iman Junction, Uyo. Awarded by the state government to Julius Berger in 2019, the Ikot Oku Ikono – Ekom Iman Junction along Abak and Idoro Roads in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, was considered a strong move to ease traffic at the threshold of the capital city and to consolidate the ongoing dualization project of the Uyo-Etinan Road.

The Commissioner for Works, Mr Ephraim Inyangeyen, at the commencement of the project, said that the flyover, when completed,would allow commuters coming in from Abak to gain easy access into the town and those going to Abak, Ikot Abasi and Port Harcourt from Uyo to use the fly-over while allowing those coming in from Idoro Road and Etinan town to negotiate via ground ways.

The commencement of the project witnessed not just the demolition of shops around the roundabout but also diverted the flow of traffic from within and outside the state through Ediene group of villages to the hospital road at Ukpom Abak. Heavy duty trucks conveying granites from Akamkpa in Cross River State to Akwa Ibom and down to Port Harcourt were all diverted to ply the small community road, constructed by the immediate past administration.

Reacting to the current dilapidated state of the community road, the village head of Nnung Udoe Ediene, Eteidung Augustine Edwin Udoh, said in addition to the number of accidents witnessed daily, the road, has been badly destroyed and the community almost submerged.

The Chief, who regretted that the Idoro road was constructed and dualized with a very high elevation but without drainage, said the ongoing construction work at Ediene Ikot Akpan has also diverted heavy volume of flood waters into the community now bearing heavy traffic. He maintained that it was the responsibility of a construction company handling any project that calls for diversion to maintain such alternative roads till the main project was completed. “From Pepsi junction, all the heavy duty trailers that carry stones from Cross Rivers State to Abak, Ikot Abasi and even Port Harcourt are diverted into our community.

That is why we now have frequent cases of accidents. As we speak, smaller vehicles can no longer pass through there because the heavy trucks have badly damaged the roads. “We have written several letters to Julius Berger, the construction company handling the flyover to come and take care of the deplorable state of the road. Our situation is peculiar because we have flood coming in from the dualized Idoro road, flood diverted from ongoing road construction at Ikot Akpan Ediene and from this heavy traffic diverted into our community.

We are almost submerged! “I will mobilize my community to block our roads if Julius Berger fails to take steps to maintain them. We are not against development but we cannot continue to fold our arms and watch our communities submerged in muds. Julius Berger would not do this elsewhere. Akwa Ibom State government should not continue to ignore our community”.

He said The Chief, who also reminded the state government that the new housing estate “Martha Udom’s Vineyard” was right in the middle of the flooded area, cautioned that no meaningful development would be possible if proper drainage was not connected to take flood out of the community.

He regretted that the construction company had further provoked hostility from the community through the sack of the only two members of the community engaged on the construction of the flyover. “How do they think we feel to watch outsiders come in to work in our community while the only two youths engaged from here were the only ones affected by Covid- 19 redundancy?” He queried. Our correspondent, who visited the community, reports that the road, constructed less than seven years ago was completely ruined due to the volume of traffic diverted into the villages.

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