By Praise Chinecherem
Motorists and commuters have heaved a sigh of relief following temporarily opening of the Amawbia, Anambra State sections of the partially completed Enugu-Onitsha Dual Carriage Way ahead of the festive period.
MTN Nigeria, the financier of the dual carriageway that connects Anambra and other South-East states is partnering the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on the project.
Addressing newsmen in Amawbia, near Awka, State capital, Coordinator, MTN Community Liaison Initiative, Dr Reginald Facah said the road was opened to ease traffic flow for South-East commuters travelling during the Yuletide.
He noted that there has been high influx of traffic along the Onitsha carriageway resulting in gridlock ocassioned by the Yuletide season, adding that the essence of opening the road is to decongest the traffic to make travelling seamless for road users.
He said, “Today, we are gathered to temporarily open the partially completed sections of the Enugu-Onitsha Dual Carriage Way, not because the entire project is ready, but because December and Christmas have seen unimaginable suffering on the parts of commuters and drivers on this same road.
“However, with today’s opening of the Amawbia section and the opening of Amawbia flyover, an untrammeled driving experience is once again here for human and vehicular traffic which are usually heat during this period.”
On his part, Senior Manager Sales, MTN, Emmanuel Okereke, expressed his organisation excitement to partner with the Federal Government on a road infrastructure tax credit scheme to complete the rehabilitation of the expressway.
“This road does not only connect Enugu and Anambra states; it is a gateway to the rest of the country and Africa. Our commitment is to deliver an expressway that will be the pride of the South-East people and Nigerians in general,” he said.
Sector Commander FRSC, Adeoye Irelewuyi expressed optimism that the expressway opening would ease the traffic jam usually experienced at the Amawbia flyover and underpass, as well as reduce road traffic crashes on the stretch.
He called for patience on the part of residents of the state and indeed all road users travelling during and after the Yuletide period.
“At festive periods like this, this section of the road always experienced very serious traffic jam at the slightest obstruction to traffic flow usually causes a pile-up in both directions.
“It is therefore with great joy and relief that the Anambra State Command of the FRSC is marking this occasion of the temporary opening of this section,” he said.
Earlier, the Anambra State Commissioner for Transport, Patricia Igwebuike, lauded MTN for their timely intervention and encouraged road users to use the road with caution, especially during the Yuletide.
