Protest over bad road shuts down activities in Imo community

The usual social and economic activities in Umuewere Nguru, Ngor Okpala Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo State, were temporarily paralysed on Wednesday following a protest over the deplorable condition of the road leading to the council headquarters in Umuneke.

The protesters, numbering in their thousands and comprising youths, elderly men, and women from the community, expressed their anger over the abandoned road, which they said has crippled their economic well-being.

Carrying placards, marching across the community, and chanting solidarity songs before heading to the LGA headquarters in Umuneke, the demonstrators lamented that they could no longer access the river for sand dredging—their major source of income—or connect easily to Umuneke for other businesses.

Speaking to newsmen during the protest, the leader, Nze Victor Offor, described the situation as most unfortunate, regretting that the bad state of the road has cost Umuewere dearly, both socially and economically.

Also speaking, a female protester, Mrs Rita Egere, said the road once served as an economic artery of the community, as travellers usually stopped to buy farm produce and other goods displayed along the roadside.

She lamented: “Today, the road is impassable. There are no vehicles, not to mention passengers, to buy our goods.”

The village chairman, Mr Ugochukwu Ekeji, expressed disappointment that instead of enjoying the advantage of being close to the local government headquarters, Umuewere people are suffering untold hardship because of the abandoned road. He noted that the road had been awarded several times by various administrations in the state but was always left uncompleted by contractors.

ALSO READ: UPDATE: Four dead, 41 rescued in Sokoto boat mishap

He said: “The most annoying part is that the road was at least manageable before the contractor came, removed the sharp sand that had been used to maintain it, and then sold more than 100 truckloads of it.”

Adding his voice, another community leader, Barr. Odunze Okerengwo, blamed contractors for worsening the road’s condition and causing more harm to the community.

Similarly, a resident, Mr Chidi Njoku, said many businesses in the community have relocated to other areas, thereby denying Umuewere the development that such ventures bring.

“Even some of our young men now prefer building houses outside the community because they cannot cope with the challenges posed by the deplorable condition of the road every year and season,” he added.

The road in question connects Ulakwo, Nguru, and Umuneke—the headquarters of Ngor Okpala LGA—from the Aba/Owerri Expressway.

The people of Umuewere appealed to the Imo State Government, led by Governor Hope Uzodimma, to come to their rescue by constructing the road, which they described as the lifeline of the community and of great socio-economic importance to Ngor Okpala LGA.

TRIBUNEONLINE