Challenges facing Eke Awka/axis

Despite the efforts by the Anambra State Government to decongest the Eke Awka axis of the zik avenue road, the area has remained a source of worry to motorists and road users.

To this end, they are appealing to the Professor Chukwuma Soludo-led administration to among other measures consider the relocation of the market to ease the heavy traffic often witnessed in Awka the State Capital.

Radio Nigeria Correspondent Uche Ndeke completes the report.

Normally, driving through Eke-Awka has never been easy especially when the axis is left unmanned by relevant traffic or road management personnel.

The situation is more worrisome with the increase in the volume of transactions as well as human and vehicular movement as a result of the festive season.

The market axis of the popular Zik’s Avenue is almost impassable causing long queue of vehicles.

Successive administrations in the state came up with various measures aimed at ensuring free flow of traffic including the deployment of enforcement officers, ban on street trading and confiscation of goods and vehicles causing traffic gridlock on the road.

Be that as it may, one major cause of traffic gridlock yet to receive attention is the heavy duty trucks offloading goods while they park for hours on the existing road too narrow to accommodate multiple lines of vehicles.

The activities of Tricyclists and bus drivers who pick and drop indiscriminately along the market axis, also contributes to the frustrations traders, customers and road users pass through.

A motorists, Mr Kevin Nwikpor, blamed the practice on lack of proper designated motor park for the market.

Another resident, Mr Paul Okolo wondered why government would allow market leaders to deface the market by constructing shops on spaces designated as parking lots.

Mrs Chinyere Osita ,and Miss Ifunanya Eneh while recounting the long queues and frustrations customers face in accessing the market and other adjoining areas, said relocating the market is the surest way to decongest the state capital.

The activities of traders who display wares along the main road is also a source of worry and concern to Mr Kingsely Okoye who also argued in favour of relocating the market to a more convenient area.

The respondents noted that as human population increases in Awka and environs, the facilities at the market are being overstretched and there seems is no space for expansion.

Mindless picking and dropping of passengers by commercial drivers is also a source concern to the road users.

In an interview, a stakeholder in Awka, Comrade Obi Ochije noted that relocating the market is not the solution to the congestion experienced by motorists.

Comrade Ochije rather decried the attitude of traders who he blamed solely for the development even as he called on relevant authorities in the state to take the challenge up by mounting guard and surveillance within the roads leading to the market especially the roundabout axis where overzealous traders display wares without consideration for road users.

The respondents also recounted that the past administration of governor Willie Obiano had inaugurated a committee with the aim of building a standard market at Isiagu, a community close to Awka within one year but regretted that till date, nothing much has happened on the project.

Whether the market will be relocated from its current location or not, more worrisome is the fact that it lacks basic infrastructures such as: toilet facilities, Fire service point, emergency exit and entry routes as well as functional boreholes among others, which the previous administration promised to put in place.

    COV/NDEKE/AA