uncompleted road, Edo community laments

Residents of Ugbiyoko, Ekheuan Barrack Road area, in Benin, the Edo State capital, have called on the Edo State government to resume work on the Ugbiyoko, Ekheuan Barrack Road, as they are currently undergoing hard times navigating the uncompleted road, while their businesses have also suffered.

When South-South PUNCH visited the road on Tuesday, an articulated vehicle, which had fallen on its side, was being evacuated by two cranes, while another bus, which had also broken down, was blocking a part of the only side of the road that motorists were managing to get in and out of the areas.

A cement trader, Maxwell Okeke, said that the reconstruction of the road was abandoned last year at the Primary School junction, as against Ojemai, where the government had promised to end the job.

Noting that the road project might have been stopped due to the rainy season, he however, called for the return of the contractors to site as residents and business owners were facing untold hardship.

He said, “The situation of the road is causing so much problem in this community. I can even say that we are still lucky here, because Oghede axis is worse than Ugbiyoko. To get to Ekheuan Barracks, you will have to pass through some inner roads that are also in deplorable conditions.

“The state government promised to do the road up to Ojemai last year, which they couldn’t and one would have expected them to order the contractors back to site, as it is no longer raining consistently and heavily in the past few week.

“Business have also suffered. I hardly make enough from my cement business, because no builder will risk coming here to buy. Some have close down their businesses, while others have vacated their buildings to look for houses in other parts of Benin.

“We commend the government for the job it has done so far, but we are begging that they complete the project, because good roads seem to be the only thing the masses can benefit from. The heavy duty truck being evacuated fell due to the gully that has developed on the road.”
A 95-year-old retiree, Morrison Eyetan, said that the bad condition of the road has taken its toll on the lives of the residents of the area, adding that it has become difficult for people to drive their cars to and fro the area, while commercial bus drivers have taken advantage of the situation to increase their fares.

He told South-South PUNCH, “The problem we are facing here is too enormous, because of the road. Most people can’t drive their cars due to the bad condition of the road. It is common to see broken down vehicles around here. The commercial bus drivers have also increased their fare, which is out of the reach of the average person.

“I am not blaming the government for the state of the road. It had a good intention for us by commencing the reconstruction of the road. However, we are begging Governor Godwin Obaseki to bring back the contractors to continue the job.

“People are selling their houses to move to better areas, while tenants are leaving for other parts of the metropolis. Many houses are deserted, especially, those in Ojemai and Barracks. I hope and pray that something is done soon.”

Ken Ogoke, who sells clothes, said that patronage had been low since the construction work was stopped, noting that the state government should have left that part of the road in its old form, if it knew that it was not ready.

He said, “The experience have been terrible. People don’t come to this part of town and sales have suffered since the construction was stopped. I think they should have left out this part of the road until they were ready. It was manageable before, but now, it’s been very difficult navigating the road and the good intention of the government is not paying off. Transport fare has also increased astronomically.”

A bus driver, who identified himself as Sam, said that it was difficult to ply the road, but that he had no choice, as he needed to eke out a living. He also said that the increase in fuel pump price and the bad condition of the road, left the drivers with no choice than to increase their fare.

He said, “People are blaming us for increasing fare, but what can we do under this situation? The road is bad and the price of fuel has gone up. If our vehicles break down, we spend so much to get them back on the road. It is really a difficult situation. Hopefully, the government will continue the job soon.”

… Punch




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