We’re Dying of Bad Roads – Okoluche Ogidi Cries Out To Soludo, Appeals for Construction Of Vinas Road

By Michael Okoye

Residents of Okoluche in Ikenga Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, have appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to urgently intervene in the deplorable condition of Vinas Road, off the Enugu Onitsha Expressway.

The appeal was made by members of the Okoluche Landlords Association and other residents during a media tour of the area, where they described the condition of the road as a major threat to their lives, businesses and property.

The residents said they had endured the poor state of the road for about 17 years, despite several attempts by the community to rehabilitate it through self help.

Chairman of the Okoluche Landlords Association, Chief Michael Nzekwesili, said the road, which links the borrow pit area through Ogboetiti to 3 3, had become a nightmare for residents, particularly during the rainy season.

According to him, residents have spent millions of naira on various self help efforts to make the road passable, but the interventions have failed to provide a lasting solution.

He alleged that flooding along the road had resulted in the loss of a landlord and endangered schoolchildren, urging the state government to urgently intervene.

The founder of the association and Chief Security Officer of the area, Chief Chukwunonso Apeh, said the poor condition of the road had also created security challenges for residents.

Apeh alleged that residents had become vulnerable to kidnappers because of the difficult terrain, adding that heavy rainfall could leave people stranded for three to four hours before the flood receded.

He appealed to the government to fix the road, arguing that improved infrastructure would also open up the area for economic activities and increase government revenue.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Vinas Road Works Committee, Chief Daniel Mmaduakonam Mgbakor, disclosed that residents had contributed more than N20 million through levies towards efforts to rehabilitate the road.

He, however, said the community interventions had not produced the desired result.

Mgbakor also raised concern over erosion developing near the entrance of the area from the Enugu Onitsha Expressway, warning that failure to address it could worsen the situation.

Another resident, Chief Sebastine Iloh, who was reportedly stranded on the road during the media tour, appealed to the state government to remember residents of Ikenga Ogidi.

He said residents pay their taxes and levies like other citizens and should therefore benefit from basic infrastructure.

For local business owners, the poor road condition has also become a serious economic burden.

A businesswoman, Sister Gift Ifeme, said customers had stopped patronising businesses in the area because of the road, resulting in losses for traders.

She also recalled an incident where flood reportedly swept away students along the road, calling for urgent government intervention before another tragedy occurs.

During the tour, it was observed that several roads within the Ikenga Ogidi axis are untarred despite increasing residential and commercial development.

The landlords argued that constructing Vinas Road would not only ease movement and improve security but also encourage further development and expand the state’s revenue base.

They therefore urged Governor Soludo to consider the construction of Vinas Road as an urgent intervention for the people of Okoluche and the wider Ikenga Ogidi community.