…Commissions Ugwueke-Akaeze Road Linking Abia, Ebonyi States
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, LL.D, CFR has vowed not to commission the newly constructed 5.5km Ozuitem-Uzuakoli road in Bende Local Government Area until the 10-meter failed section is repaired.
Kalu made the disclosure on Tuesday after commissioning the 5km Alayi-Ugwueke-Akaeze road, which connects the Local Government Area in Abia State to Akaze in Ebonyi State.
The road is also one of the several infrastructures attracted by the Deputy Speaker who represents Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State at the National Assembly.
He said that Ugwueke-Akaeze will enhance connectivity of the States in the South East and South South and also improve trade and commerce among the people of the States.
On Ozuitem-Uzuakoli road, Kalu emphasized that the project he championed, is getting its first-ever tarring since 1981 it was first built by the administration of Sam Mbakwe in old Imo State, stating it will not be commissioned until the defects are addressed.
He therefore ordered the contractors handling the project to immediately fix the failed portion to serve the people.
Meanwhile, the portion has already been excavated by the contractors, waiting to be repaired with cement pavement and asphalt.
He said: “Some of you who know me since I joined politics, know that my type of politics is different. We play politics with the fear of God because it is God who has placed us in the position we occupy today. We can’t play politics with everything. For me, it is about leadership. When we promised to construct that road (Ugwueke-Akaeze), people didn’t believe it. But today I am happy we did it. It is a reality.
“We have done a couple of roads in Uzoakoli and Ozuitem. But there is one connecting Uzuakoli and Ozuitem that is 5.5 km which I just drove on and I saw that there are portions that need special attention. So, I am hereby calling on the contractors to go and fix those two portions. I will not commission that road until the portions are fixed.
“They have called me to come and commission the road but I am saying no, Ozuitem-Uzuakoli road will not be commissioned until the contractors return to site next week and put it together with stone based that is good for that failure. After that, I will come and commission it.
“Let me announce to my people in Bende and Nigeria at large that the road that has been on the social media is a road that is still undergoing construction. The road has not been commissioned. So, when you build such a road and there is a little problem, the people will go back and fix it. So, I am ordering the contractors that did Ozuitem-Uzuakoli road to go and fix that portion which is about 10 or 20 meters of the 5.5 kilometer road and fix it. And it is important to mention that that road has not been touched for over 20 years. There was no connection between Ozuitem and Uzuakoli through that Elugwumba community and we decided as one of our campaign promises to fix it. APC promised that we will fix that road and through the efforts of Mr. President, we have been able to fix that road. But those portions that failed must be fixed”, Kalu said.
