The traditional ruler of Amaiyi Okpo community in Ihechiowa, Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State, Eze Michael Ifi Njoku Kalu, has appealed to the state government to urgently intervene in the deplorable condition of roads in the area after three decades of neglect.
The monarch, who expressed de
ep concern over the deteriorating infrastructure, said the poor state of the roads had made it almost impossible for vehicles to access the community, forcing residents to trek long distances to neighbouring areas.
Speaking with journalists, Eze Njoku Kalu urged Governor Alex Otti to include the Okpo-Achara road project in the administration’s ongoing infrastructure development efforts, lamenting that successive governments had failed to address the issue for over 30 years.
According to him, the condition of the
roads had isolated the community from essential services and discouraged indigenes living outside the area from visiting home.
“Government has never paid attention to the road project for over 30 years. We trek to Umuchiakuma Junction. There’s no car in the community because vehicles cannot enter the village,” the monarch said.
Eze Kalu noted that Amaiyi Okpo, despite being a border community linking Abia with Cross River and Akwa Ibom states and having a significant voting population, had continued to suffer neglect in terms of basic infrastructure and government presence.
“We are pleading with the government of Dr Alex Otti to come into the community and help us. The community has been trying to fix the internal roads to ease mobility, but there is little a community can do to repair a major road. We are in trouble,” he appealed.
The monarch also lamented the lack of government-provided social amenities, stating that most available facilities in the community were built through the contributions of indigenes.
Meanwhile, former chairman of the Okpo Ihechiowa Development Union (OIDU), Cletus Torti Oleh, described the situation as worrisome, saying travelling to the community had become a difficult and stressful experience due to the poor road network.
Samuel Agada is a writer and media contributor from Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. He is a graduate of Biochemistry from the University of Jos and a former banker with GTBank and FCMB. A prolific writer, songwriter, educator, and Gospel preacher, he is passionate about informing, inspiring, and impacting society through his work.