The former Governor of Abia State and the Publisher of The Sun and New
Telegraph titles, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu has commended the government of
Rivers State for taking a sturdier measure on the Enugu-Port Harcourt
expressways.
Kalu said this in a statement issued by his media centre in Abuja and
signed by Mrs. Rubby Obinna.
The business crowd-puller said that Governor Nyesom Wike was well-built in
his foresight to go for the rescue of motorists on the two dangerous spots
that had kept movement of vehicular stalled for months now if not years,
which were between Oyigbo and Imo Bridge area of the state.
Kalu called for the total review of the roads, saying that it’s not only
the spots that Wike in his wisdom has gone to treat after embarking on a
courtesy visit to the Oyigbo LGA of the state that were bad. Kalu said
that there were areas on the expressways that should be scrapped for total
reconstruction, not rehabilitation.
He said that at this time that Nigerians are yearning for total
overhauling of the system, it would be out of place to trade blames
concerning the government that had worked on the road or the supposedly
one that did not do work on the road.
Hear Kalu, “The Enugu-Express ways have kept motorists and travellers
crying. The people of the South East and South South are most hit by the
perilous nature of the roads. I’m appealing to the authorities concerned
to review the work processes of the roads and come out with a lasting
master plan that would help in solving the crises that the roads built
over 70 and 30yrs ago respectively are causing to users.”
Kalu lamented that transportation cost always increase along that
expressways due to their deplorable condition. He added that what the
people need was not a temporary assuage of their suffering which they
might come to experience soon or later due to seemingly out-of-quality
materials that most contractors that were awarded road contracts use.
The former governor wondered why the roads built over 30 yrs ago were very
strong compared to the rehabilitations done on some of the damaged spots
today that spoiled as soon as the awardees pulled equipments out of the
site.
Kalu wept that the expressways need fast attention due to lives that were
lost on them due to road crashes. He said that it was inundated that
several trucks carrying goods worth millions of naira had capsized on
these roads, causing conundrum on the economic activities of businessmen
and women in and outside the country.
The business mogul highlighted the importance of the Enugu-Port Harcourt
Expressways to the economy of the country. Quoting a former minister of
works, Kalu said, “The Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriage way is an
important North-South arterial highway route connecting so many important
cities in the country.”
Kalu noted that some parts of the highways were constructed over 70 years
ago. He atoned that while rehabilitating the roads may be good, total
reconstruction is always better. He said that he expressed delight when
the news was everywhere in the past that there was progress of work on
section one and three of the expressways, which were from Lokpanta to Aba,
and from Enugu to Lopkanta awarded in 2013.
He wondered why users are still facing hardship in major areas of the
highway.
The former governor said that it was everywhere that the past
administration in March this year flagged the second section of the
Enugu-Port Harcourt expressways, (which were from Aba Rail/ Road Bridge
crossing to Eleme Junction in Port Harcourt) and awarded same to the China
Civil Engineering Construction Corporation at the cost of N34, 047, 096,
919.17 with a completion period of 30 months; he lamented that urgent
attention should be paid to the 41.4 kilometer road in order to alleviate
the suffering of users.