By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government and the Rivers State government have been urged to put the Oyigbo-Afam Road in a good shape as the current state was deplorable.
An advocacy group, Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative, which made the appeal, emphasised that a local government area with 21 autonomous communities that hosts many multinationals such as Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED), Afam Power Plant, Genco, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Nigeria Gas Company (NGC), Alcon Gas Plant, Daewoo Gas plant, NNPC Gas gathering Plant, Transcorp Power Plant and Cassava Processing Plant Afam should have the best of good road network.
It, therefore, further called on the multinational companies, their subsidiaries and all concerned to swiftly and immediately act on the road.
The group said it visited the area to have a first-hand feel of the state of the road and “true to it, Citizens Quest was leg-stocked as what greeted them in this very crucial quest was the indescribable state of the roads. The situation can simply be described as bad.”
In a statement, it further said, “The Oyigbo-Afam Road led the Citizen Quest to the popular Kom-Kom road to the railway at Obeama-Mirinwanyi community.
“It begins from Umusoya junction and it is major access for all the multinationals (aforementioned) and other businesses operating in the LGA is not passable.
“Residents decried the long neglect by government and wonder why even the companies in the area cannot effect their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) to the people.
“In a chat with some residents and motorist/commuters, they lamented that the government of the day in Rivers State has abandoned Oyigbo to their fate and only those with a fleet of SUVs packed with well-armed/riot looking police officers can ply the road whenever they want to have any function in the area.
“Some motorist lamented their almost daily visits to their auto-mechanics due to the damages the failed road cause their vehicles.
“Some tricycle (popularly known as Keke) operators expressed pains in what they describe as death traps because of their daily collapse with their passengers into the ditches on the roads.
“Commuters say they pay as much as N500 per passenger on a tricycle (Keke) from the Umusoya junction to railway/market which is not up to one kilometre.
“Small scale business owners told the Quest that the neglect has crippled businesses in the area and that has made life unbearable for the people.”
It would be recalled that the Federal Government has given approval for the complete reconstruction of Afam Road in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State to Transcorp Group to construct the 13.5km Oyigbo-Izuoma-Mirinwayi-Oklama-Afam Road.
Adedapo Adesanya