~ calls for government intervention to stop incessant kidnapping and robbery on the road.
Indigenes of Uruagu-Nnewi community in Nnewi North local government area of Anambra state, over the weekend, took to the streets to protest the dilapidated road infrastructure on the Nnewi- Oba-Onitsha Road, particularly on the Egbo section of the road, in front of the St John of the Cross Catholic Church, which the indigenes say is the catholic mother church in Nnewi.
The protesters, who were majorly youths and elderly men, displayed placards bearing different inscriptions depicting their anger over the neglect of roads in the area by the federal and state governments which has brought untold hardship to the people, resulting most times to the kidnapping and robbery to road users in the area.
Some of the placards read: "Nnewi community has suffered a lot due to bad road network;" "kidnaping and robbery are rampant in our community as a result of bad roads;" "Buhari, Governor Soludo, please, come to our help;" "Religious leaders and prominent people in our community should not be silent on the state of our roads;" among other things.
Leader of the protesters, Mr. Obiora Okeke, said the road has become a death trap that has consumed a lot of people and therefore called on government to intervene before the rains set in, as the bad spot has been converted as a trap to rob and kidnap innocent people.
He said, "Several roads in Nnewi, the commercial nerve center of Anambra state, and the supposed Japan of Africa, have become ghosts of their own selves. Majority of the roads are completely dilapidated and in a state of disrepair.
"Vehicles hardly ply this road and its worse in the rainy seasons, as traders from outside Nnewi hardly come here to transact businesses because of bad roads. He said that vehicles that dare come in rainy seasons hardly go back the same way they come because of the condition of the road.
"The worst aspect is that armed robbers and kidnappers take advantage of this bad road to unleash mayhem on members of the public, especially strangers. We've recorded many kidnap and robbery cases on this bad spot. The other day, a woman and two young men were halted and kidnapped in front of St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, Nnewi, because of the bad road, even as we are in the dry season, who knows what will happen when we enter the raining season."
Okeke, however noted that the bad road in question is a federal government road, and therefore urged concerned authorities to do necessary interventions on the said road, in order to avert further calamities.
Youth leader of Uruagu-Nnewi community, Hon. Ejike Ifejiofor, on his own, called on government, church authorities and prominent people in the community to intervene, to avoid further dangers the road may pose to motorists.
Another indigene of the community, Marcel Ifeachor, called on the senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator (Dr.) Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah; the member representing Nnewi North and Nnewi South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Chris Emeka Azubogu; who are both indigenes of Nnewi, to intervene on the bad section of the road which is not up to 1000 meters. As he said that FERMA can handle such, to help cushion the effects of the hardship been faced by the indigenes of the area.
He also called on billionaire industrialists such as Dr. Innocent Chukwuma (INNOSON); Dr. Cletus Ibeto of the Ibeto Group; Dr. Chika Okafor (Chikason); Dr Chosmas Maduka (Choscharis); as well as Dr. Ajulu Uzodike (Cutix cables), among others, who are indigenes of Nnewi to do something fast about the state of road in the community.
According to him, "Any community having these caliber of men as its sons should not be complaining about bad roads."