On Wednesday, July 20, 2022, the Imo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Declan Emulumba addressing newsmen at the end of the weekly Executive Council meeting, revealed that arrangements had been concluded for the flag-off of the major road constructions in the state.
Truth to the statement, on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, His Excellency, Hope Uzodimma embarked on the flagg-off of the Owerri/Mbaise/Umuahia and Orlu/Mgbe/Akokwa roads. The project was awarded to the Lagos-based construction company called CRANEBURG.
The company was tasked with the construction of 35 kilometres highway leading from the Owerri capital city to Orlu urban city, towards the Uga boundary of Anambra, and the first phase of the 55 kilometres leading to Okigwe. These have been completed and commissioned for usage.
The construction of 46 Kilometres of the OWERRI -MBAISE-UMUAHIA Dual carriageway road was also part of the integrated access network program of the government. For all intents and purposes, the Mbaise government project has been ill-fated as Craneburg struggles between abandoning it and facing the challenge posed by the inferior work delivery.
While the Orlu and Okigwe networks were constructed as dual carriage, the Mbaise-Umuahia project is forcing a dual carriage on an already built single lane. The psychology is clear and when we interviewed some engineers on the site they appeared helpless in what the government is doing.
For instance, from Aforenyiogugu to Eke Ahiara, Craneburg has been making a clear statement – We can’t deliver quality on this road. As it is, the company is engaged in the rehabilitation of a project that is still ongoing. Dilapidation of the road started as soon as it was constructed. Potholes appeared while the engineers were still on site.
Craneburg has been saddled with pothole management on an ongoing project. The road is almost like a rainbow with many colours. While some stubborn potholes are managed with raw cement to create a concrete floor, others are equipped with laterite and a privileged few are addressed with asphalt. There is no better way to advertise incompetence than what Craneburg has been doing on the Mbaise road since last year.
It becomes more painful when people recall that at least the major part of the Mbaise road was solid and serving heavy-duty vehicles before Craneburg came and excavated it. Residents who watched them destroy the old layer road built by the Sam Mbakwe government also expressed doubt about the company replacing it with more durable work.
At the end what did we see? Road construction is not solid enough for motorcycles and wheelbarrows; digging and construction of open drainage; no demarcation of Open gutters from the walk and motorways which shows the lack of risk assessment by the embattled Craneburg.
Professionals have since condemned this snare and identified the entire road as a hazard to health and safety. Now the question is, for how long will Craneburg keep patching and managing the Mbaise potholes it created? When will the Mbaise-Umuahia road resemble the Orlu and Okigwe routes?
For how long will the people be subjected to risk factors? Is this also part of politics or has the SFTAS World Bank funding of $11 million been withdrawn? From the body language and murmuring of the Mbaise residents, people are growing disaffected with Craneburg and may express this emotion very soon. Let it not be that this is the strategy Craneburg is waiting on to abandon this project. Imo state government must be truthful and honest to itself in delivering quality work to the people.
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The government should deploy adequate resources and monitor the service delivery of Craneburg if it is not comfortable with the embarrassment in Mbaise. Civil society members; opinion leaders, traditional rulers, bishops, and priests must use their positions and language to communicate to the government when the people are confined to hardship by government mercenaries. Exposing people to hazards and risks for too long is a sign that the government has died.
Thank you
- Dan Ugwu wrote from Mbutu Mbaise, Imo State
Disclaimer: “The views/contents expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of Dan Ugwu and do not necessarily reflect those of The World Satellite (TWS). TWS will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.”
