Date Published: 01/28/10

Area Boys dare Amaechi, disrupt construction works

ROAD construction works in parts of Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, have been stalled due to the disruption activities of community youths (Area Boys).

This is coming barely 24 hours after Governor Chibuike Amaechi promised citizens that his administration will soon send a bill to the state House of Assembly for a law to stop such menace.

Drainage construction work in Imo Street at the local government area is currently on hold due to demands by community youths that road projects in their street be completed first before addressing the Imo street drainage work.

Devastating flood last year sacked Imo street barely three months after the road construction, destroying houses in its trail and rendered tens of citizens homeless.

In a seeming desperate move to avert a recurrence this year, government is embarking on re-chanelling of the water to the nearby Imo River enroute Market Road.

A staff on the contractor handling the job who gave his name as simply Mr. Eze, told our correspondent at the site on Wednesday that the job is on hold. ''Community youths want us to tackle some job within this axis first before we can return to continue with this drainage work'', he said.

Consequently, motorists and pedestrians are finding it difficult to hit the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway from Imo street since the drainage work has already divided the road into two with a gulf between.

Governor Amaechi said on Tuesday that his administration was proposing a bill that will check illegal activities of persons (Area Boys) who harass contractors on site or make unnecessary demands from prospective land developers. 

Amaechi, disclosed this during a town hall meeting with the people of Ikwerre Local Government Area at Isiokpo, the headquarters of the local government area, pointing out that such activities were hampering development in the state. 

He explained that when the law becomes operational, demands for marching ground and other associated illegal levies from contractors or prospective land developers would become punishable offences.

According to him, under the proposed law those who harass any contractor or ask for marching ground from prospective land developers would be liable to three years imprisonment while those who threaten contractors and land developers with matchets or any dangerous weapon are to be treated as armed robbers.