Non Provision Of Service Lanes, Bad Roads Cause Insecurity At 2nd Niger Bridge – Importers Association

By Julie Sylvia, Onitsha

Importers Association of Nigeria, Monday, in Onitsha, Anambra State, attributed insecurity at the second Niger Bridge to lack of service lanes on the bridge and the damaged portions of Onitsha-Owerri road that stretches from Upper Iweka to Mgbuka junction in Onitsha.

The chairman, Board of Trustees, (BOT), of the association, Chief Gilbert Obi, Bravo, made this disclosure while fielding questions from newsmen in his Onitsha office, adding that provision of service lanes will attract people to trek on the bridge to and from Onitsha.

“We thank the Federal Government for working on the 2nd Niger bridge, we will remember that the Owerri road linking other states is terribly in bad shape, most vehicles plying the road atimes fall, the problem actually is that the Federal Government stops the State Governments from rehabilitating the Federal roads.

“In this case, it is only the state government that knows the portion that is bad, I know in the past, state governments were working on the Federal roads, later they will give Federal Government bill to pay. I don’t know if they have their reasons for stopping the States from working on the Federal roads. But it is not the best because If you consider the money we are wasting on accidents as a result of bad roads, you find out that we are losing a lot of money.

“I call on Federal Government to have a rethink by allowing the States to work on damaged portions of Federal roads in their respective States because residents of the states bear the bulk of the pains. It will be difficult for somebody in Abuja to know what is happening in Onitsha, a remote area.

“It is the Senators and House of Representatives that are responsible to bring before the House, the poor State of the roads to have the problem solved. The dilapidated portion of Onitsha-Owerri road is terribly in bad shape, impassable.

“According to what I heard, the construction firm is suppose to create service lane and the service lane is important. I call on the state government to do the needful by working for the service Lane if that is their area, so that the 2nd Niger bridge will be a blessing.

“Vandalization is common in Nigeria, that is the reason most companies are using concrete to make their reels, formerly they were using aluminium or stainless, they suppose to use materials which are not easily removed or sellable in the markets,” he stated.

Also on the two weeks sit at home order by the Prime Minister of Autopilot, Simon Ekpa, he said that it was very unfortunate for somebody in far away Finland to issue order to those in Southeast zone.

“How can he be there in Finland and impose a sit at home order in Southeast. the Monday sit at home is giving everybody headache because we only work five days instead of six days. it affects the economy of the Southeast. Federal government should obey the court order by releasing Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally as ordered by the courts. If they do that, that will be the best, because he is very popular in Southeast, even beyond,” he pleaded.

On incessant market crises he said that, “if a leader is doing very well, there will be no crisis in the market, if he is not, there will be crisis,” hinting that the only parking space in Onitsha Main market was built by former Governor Willie Obiano’s administration, and lamented that Governor Soludo is about to demolish it, warning that the people that will bear the blunt are the traders that have shops there, with milions of naira worth of wares.

According to him, the market was designed with three parks, but two have been used for shops and the remaining one is about to be built up with shops too.

“The first administration of former Governor Chris Ngige and last administration built shops because the money involved was so much. Peter Obi wasn’t interested, atimes they go to Awka with about #100million to bribe them and you know civil servants, they would collect the money, give approvals and we, the traders, will grumble.

“Remember the fact that former Governor Obiano appointed his brother as the chairman of markets, that time, traders were complaining, if anything happens, like fire outbreak, no place to stay and watch what is happening. So there must be parks, open space, access roads but it is unfortunate, the design of the market is still there, and it has 3 parks” he further stated.