Declare State-of-Emergency on failed Federal Roads, Human Right group tells President Tinubu

By Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha

The Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Anambra State chapter has decried the decrepit and deplorable conditions of Federal Roads in Anambra state.
The human rights body therefore appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare state of emergency on the roads.
The group also asked the President to direct the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to pay an urgent on the spot assessment visits to see the pathetic and despicable conditions of the roads as well as: “monumental sufferings, agony,pains, discomforts citizens experience and destruction of vehicles on daily basis”.
“Most regrettable is that this deplorable condition of roads has cost avoidable loss of lives, incessant accidents, encouraged kidnappings, criminalities and other forms of insecurity in the State” said CLO in a statement signed by the State chairman, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme and his secretary, Chidi Mbah.
The rights group pleaded for prompt actions by the President and Minister of Works to remedy the pathetic and detestable situation.
CLO appealed to the President to direct Minister of Works and Federal Road Management Emergency (FERMA) boss to embark on prompt rehabilitations of the roads especially the Onitsha -Owerri Road,3-3-Otuocha -Adani-Nsukka Road, Onitsha-Awkuzu-Awka -Enugu Road, Nnewi-Uga-Okigwe Road, Onitsha -Asaba-Benin Road.
The rights group said: “It is an existential reality that most of the roads were awarded during the administration of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo but twenty years after, some of them were neglected and abandoned.
It is very unfortunate that a journey which supposed to take one hour, now takes more than three hours.
Citizens, commuters, residents are therefore seeking urgent Federal Government intervention to remedy the pathetic situation as transport fare has also sky-rocketed beyond the ability of majority of the citizens because of the poor State of roads”.
CLO said that expectedly the rehabilitation of the roads would bring accelerated socio-economic development,give people more sense of belonging, restore people’s faith and hope in government.