By Our Reporter
The Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Dr Tony Nwoye has has raised alarm over the deplorable condition of the federal road linking Onitsha, the commercial nerve center of Anambra to Adani, an Agricultural hub in Enugu state through the ever-busy 33-Otuocha-Ayamelum.
Nwoye decried that the 48 kilometer road which was a federal government designated Infrastructure had been abandoned for decades thereby causing untold hardship and economic damages to the agrarian communities in his Senatorial district.
Nwoye who made the call on Tuesday during plenary presided over by the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio added that the Trunk A road was a major economic link in the Onitsha and Omambala region of Anambra and Kogi States and traversed the GRA, Onitsha, 33- Otuocha-Adani-Enugu State and Kogi State.
According to him, the dilapidated state of the road had led to the loss of so many lives and properties, adding that even farmers found it difficult to get their produce to the market.
Narrating the ordeals of road users, Nwoye told the Senate that the road played an important role as it connected many agrarian communities, emphasising that the road was a major food basket of the Southeast region.
Describing the road as a national critical national project, Nwoye cautioned that if allowed to dilapidated, may lead to food scarcity, bring untold hardship, neglect and exacerbate the sufferings and pain on the people and the attendant loss of revenue that would have accrued to the government.
He said; โthe road needs repair due to the presence of critical infrastructure like the cooking gas extractive industry/refinery at Ponti Nkponando, Aguleri, many industries located along that Anambra, Enugu and Kogi States corridor and many other businesses, which contribute huge sums of needed revenue for the nation
He said, โthis road will be segmented into two sections, the first section is dualization from GRA Onitsha to Aguleri/Otuocha junction (about 10km); and the second section will remain a single carriage way from Otuocha/Aguleri junction to Adani, Enugu and Kogi States.
Nwoye also lamented that despite the fact that the project was under the Federal Ministry of Works & Housing, it had till date not been awarded due to paucity of funds, hence the need for placement of funding to be financed through the NNPCL Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, under which it is the financier.
Lending his support to the motion, the Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh called for urgent intervention stating that the road if reconstructed would reduce travel time and improve economic livelihood.
He said, โIf the road is reconstructed Anambra can be accessed directly to Kogi in two hours instead of going through Enugu.
Acceding to Nwoyeโs motion, the Senate asked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service under the Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme to include the road as a project to be prioritized, funded; and to be executed through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
The Senate also urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to urgently commence design for the road, while also urging the Committees on Petroleum Resources Upstream and Works (when constituted) and Legislative Compliance to ensure implementation.
