By CHIOMA ONUEGBU
IKOT EKPENE — CITIZENS of Akwa-Ibom and Abia States, who first raised the alarm, July, about the scandalous state of Ikot Ekpene – Umuahia and Ikot Ekpene-Aba federal expressways are enraged by the Federal Government’s decision to merely patch the highways, instead of reconstructing and dualizing them.

Soon after they cried out through the Niger Delta Voice in the first week of July, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, was directed to rehabilitate the Ikot Ekpene- Aba and Ikot Ekpene – Umuahia roads,  but the citizens said what the motorways required was a total reconstruction, not “patch- patch work”.

They had lamented in the report the untold sufferings they were passing through as a result of high cost of transportation, goods and services because of the impassable state of the roads abandoned for many years, as well as deaths from accidents and robbery attacks.

Contract for reconstruction

The citizens asserted if the federal government was sincere in giving the roads facelift, it should re-award contract for the reconstruction and not for mere maintenance by FERMA, which will end up patching the roads as usual.

Chairman,  Ikot Ekpene People’s Assembly,  Engr. Tom Udo Essien, though commended the federal government for at least responding to the masses’ appeal in Niger Delta Voice to fix the roads,  advised that the road be awarded for reconstruction and if possible dualization,  pointing out that  the current state of the roads had gone beyond just mending them.

Essien said that it would be better to allow the roads remain abandoned than patching them again because several patched works on them in the past did not work.

He wondered why the federal government would award such dilapidated roads to be patched while it was doing standard roads in other places.

“The maintenance crew is to look after a road when it is beginning to get bad and not when it has gone to that level. Repair is just mending something that got cracked.  Ikot Ekpene-Aba road is not cracked. I, therefore, advise that the road be awarded for reconstruction. If state governments can be dualizing their roads, why should a whole federal government not dualize its roads? After all, what are we using our money for?” he queried.

A youth leader in Uruk Uso,  Ikot Ekpene, Manasseh Umoette,  said, “As far as road construction is concerned,  those roads go beyond FERMA and to the best of our knowledge,  FERMA does not have the record of repairing roads that lasts. FERMA deals with local contractors that lack expertise in road repairs. Because of the regular and heavy vehicular movement on the roads, if the roads are not reconstructed, whatever repair they do, in a matter of weeks, the roads will collapse.”

Managing Director of MECON-ACE International Limited, Uyo, Mr. Alex Mapayi, however, described federal government resolution to repair the roads as a big relief, saying, “I am a regular user of Ikot Ekpene-Umuahia road, I can tell you the road is a bad case and when it rains the boys that use kernel shells to fill up bad spots will not be there to help direct your tyres to enable you move.

But I don’t see why we should be repairing roads yearly. We should have roads that have lifespan, roads that can last a long time and the only way to make roads durable is by doing quality job,”   he added.

Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Mr. Samuel Udobong, said, “While admiring and appreciating the achieved feat by Vanguard Newspaper for drawing government attention to the dilapidated road, I  agree with others that the roads have gone beyond mere repair.”

“What we are saying is that these roads have been bad for too long and over the years, they have subjected our people to suffering and hardship, so I am appealing to the federal government to re-award the road to a competent contractor that will do a standard work. Akwa Ibom people deserve good roads. We are tired of FERMA patching these roads again and again. It is not helping at all because it does not last,” he said.

Independent contractor

Chairman, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Akwa-Ibom, Mr. Udeme Okon told Niger Delta Voice,  “It is a good thing that the roads have been finally remembered but what we do not  understand is why the  state that produces so much money for the economy of this country to have such unfortunate roads.”

His words, “It is really sad and that is why I am not too excited that the road has been awarded to FERMA because it will only mend the roads. So, I advise the federal government to look into the matter again and re-award the roads to a competent and independent contractor that will bring out the best.”

FERMA only maintain roads

Former Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom state and Board member of FERMA representing South- South,  Idongesit Nkanga, told Niger Delta Voice  that the maintenances were  temporary intervention from FERMA to make the roads motorable pending when they would be awarded for reconstruction, adding  that FERMA only maintains roads.

“When you look at Ikot Ekpene-Aba road, it is the Abia state side that is very bad, the Azumili side is also very bad, and that is why FERMA is being asked to intervene to make the road motorable for a while. When the permanent thing is to be done, that has to be done by the Federal Ministry of Works”, he said.