Umunze Town cries out to Obiano over bad roads

The people of Umunze, the headquarters of Orumba South Local Government Council of Anambra State, have cried out to Governor Willy Obiano over the deplorable condition of some portions of Umuchu-Umunze road and the ever-busy Umunze-Ogbunka-Owerre Ezukalla road, which connects the state with Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states.

The road leads to the Federal College of Education (Technical), which the community hosts, hence the importance of the road cannot be over stressed.

The community lamented that the condition of the roads, particularly the Umunze-Ogbunka road, is negatively impacting on the economic life of the people as it connects them to many communities in other states of the South-East zone whose people constitute the bulk of the customers of the traders and other business concerns in the town. Worst affected are the spots opposite FirstBank as well as Zenith and Access banks’ branches in the town, which remains waterlogged for days after each down pour. In fact, on a typical rainy day, commercial and social activities are completely shut down in Umunze as the roads are flooded making it impossible for access into the popular Nkwo Market and the banks. Several communal efforts to provide palliative had not worked because the scope of the damage on the road is huge and well above the scope of community effort; it needs quality and expert action, which the government can provide.

Though a federal road, the community has sent a Save Our Soul to Governor Willy Obiano to intervene to save the people from impending disaster as the flood resulting from the bad condition of the road poses serious threat to some residents in the community. According a trader at the busy Nkwo Umunze daily market who simple gave his name as Innocent, the condition of the road is negatively affecting their business. He said: “We are suffering the effect. On any rainy day we would close our shops because there is no road for anybody to come to Umunze from Ogbunka area. It is a very serious issue for us. We pray that the government comes to our aid.

“We know Governor Obiano as somebody who listens to people’s cries, please let him listen to our cries and repair this road, we are suffering, it is adversely affecting us.” Meanwhile, the community has also tasked Governor Obiano on the need to open up rural roads that connect the community with neighbouring communities of Eziagu, Ezira, Isulo and Nawfija for ease of transporting their farm produce to enhance their economy.