The people of Mbeke Ishieke Autonomous Community in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, have expressed dismay over the abandonment of the ring road project that passed through the community.
They said that the abandonment of the project was affecting the socio-economic life of the people, especially this rainy season.
Originally known as Abakaliki Ring Road, the Ebonyi State ring road project, measuring 198km, was first conceived and executed by the Governor of the old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo in 1982 “to decongest intra-city commuting and enable ease of transportation of agricultural and natural resources.”
In 2001, the administration of former Governor Sam Egwu elongated the road, covering eight local government areas of Izzi, Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Ohaukwu, Ezza North, Ezza South, Ishielu & Ikwo.
After years of neglect, which left most part of the original road in dilapidated condition, the Governor David Umahi-led administration secured over $150 million dollar loan from the Africa Development Bank (AFDB), the Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) and their partners to construct the remaining 179 km of the ring road.
The contract was awarded to about eight firms from May 2021, with a contractual deadline of two years.
Investigation by DAILY POST revealed that the project, which is an 8 inch concrete pavement, has been completed in many parts of the state since 2023, but that of Ndoko-Ezzamgbo section, totalling 16.23Km is among the ones not completed, especially the portion that passed through Mbeke Ishieke.
Apostle Benjamin Obaji, who is a stakeholder in Mbeke Ishieke Autonomous Community, expressed frustration with the alleged abandonment of the ring road.
“When you talk of the ring road project, from Nwezinyi, immediately it came to my community, it terminated.
“Then, when you come from Ohaukwu and Effium axis, immediately they reached my community, they terminated the work. So nobody knows what is happening.
“The road now is impassable – if you have a motorcycle you can’t pass, if you have a bicycle you can’t pass, if you have a car you can’t pass it – very very impassable, very unfortunate.
“The contract arrangement, they said, must be completed in 2023. So this 2024,” he lamented.
Apostle Obaji lamented that other parts of the ring road project had entered into the next stage while theirs was yet to begin.
“The stage of work of some of the companies that have completed their own, they are under maintenance now; maintenance monitoring – any crack they see, they will go and close it.
“But our own, even the so-called latering (sic) has not even been done, talkless (sic) of maintenance because the contract arrangement says three years maintenance. Some said five years but the one we heard is three years.
“Up till now, the man has not done anything here and there is no machine again on site, if the man has a site, it may be in the Ohaukwu area,” Apostle Obaji cried out.
He appealed to the Ebonyi State Government to cause the contractor to complete the project.
“Excuses have been given to us, sometimes the man in question will say he has not been mobilised, that the certificate generated has not been considered by the government, but we learnt that he has been mobilised, paid by the concerned agency.
“The entire community is not happy about it. We have done everything possible – both free place for matching plants and the place they will collect laterite, so that the man will come back to site– to no avail.
“What I am telling the Ebonyi State Government, if they know how they can help us, let the man come back to site, the government should summon the man and find out what is the problem because the community is suffering,” he added.
Similarly, a legal practitioner and member of Mbeke Ishieke, Mr. Nnaemeka Nwambam, appealed to the Ebonyi State Government to compel the contractor to complete the job.
“In our community, the masses are suffering and we are having it so bad this rainy season. The place is so mashy and it is very difficult to pass during heavy rain.
“Those who use motorcycles cannot access our major market, Ogbala Ishieke Market and it is causing a lot of economic hardship on us. So I feel so uncomfortable with the stoppage of work in the area.
“But I know there was a time his Excellency, the Governor of Ebonyi State, gave a marching order that all contractors handling the ring road should complete the same and I know they would have been paid.
“So we are calling on the government or any other authority or the contractors to go back to site to enable that part of the segment of the road to be completed so that our people will enjoy that road. It will also enhance economic activities in the area,” he stated.
Meanwhile, all efforts made by DAILY POST on five occasions, including visits and text message to the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Stanley Mbam, to explain why the section of the ring road was allegedly abandoned, proved unsuccessful.
However, in a telephone interview, the Head of Department Civil Engineering, Ebonyi State Ministry of Works, Mr. Villard Eze, who is the engineer in the ministry overseeing the ring road project, claimed that the contractor was still on site despite the clear absence of any construction machine and material at the site.
“The road is not abandoned whether there is a machine there or no machine. If it’s abandoned, we will tell you. Anybody that tells you that it is abandoned, well, I don’t know the way the person got the information.
“The contractor has not left the site but there are just some issues to be sorted out, I don’t know whether you need (to know) the kind of issues, the money is not the issue but things needed to be sorted out, that’s it,” Mr. Eze insisted.
Just last month, July, Ebonyi State Governor held a meeting with the contractors for the ring road, urging them to complete the project, but weeks after the marching order, the situation has remained the same.
$150m Ebonyi Ring Road: Mbeke Ishieke community cries out, alleges abandonment