I nearly developed the dreaded High Blood Pressure, HBP, last weekend but for adequate drug prescriptions that saved me from the plight. I tried to find out why my BP should shot up warranting a visit to a physician.
My inquiries recalled a distasteful experience I had last weekend. The bitter pill undoubtably can claim responsibility for the downturn in my heartbeat. I may not be the only person that may have suffered from this malaise if those who were part of the sordid story am going to tell are included.
I was chanced to be in one of the communities that make up Ikeduru LGA of Imo State named Uzoagba, for a burial ceremony. Because of the location of the town that borders Owerri North LGA and other parts of Ikeduru communities, I gained access through the Toronto-Ekemegbuoha- Okatankwo River road into Uzoagba.
Signs that road users were in for a hellish experience that fateful Saturday emerged when the only available space to roll the car on the edgy Okatankwo River slope became murky to allow a vehicle move. Those accessing the road like me had to hire manual labourers and other passersby to help them push out their stocked vehicles in the muddy terrain.
Faced with the initial challenge, I wanted to make a U-turn to save my car the hardship of the bumpy path, but continued when I managed to cross. The route to myself the mental stress and prevent the aging destination, Amambaa village in Uzoagba, was nothing less than a tortuous with associated displeasure of maneuvering the dilapidated road from the Okatankwo end of the town. I pitied my operational vehicle that had gulped enough water packed on the road. By the time I managed to reach the place for the burial, the sound oozing from the car engine had changed indicating sinister signals. Ironically, because of the bad road, a journey of about 15 minutes took me not less than one hour thirty minutes to complete.
The subject of discussion among those who came from far, especially outside Uzoagba town was the pitiable state of the road. Instead of engaging in meaningful talks about the worthy life the deceased woman being buried that day lived in the 102 years of her lifetime, the sorry nature of the roads in Uzoagba and the entire state occupied the minds of the sympathizers to the deceased family.
The drinks and food served people were not captivating enough to forgo the bad roads. Not far from me was a group of persons who kept pondering how to find their way out of the enclave having entered through another unpalatable road that locates the Uzoagba community through a neighbouring Ikeduru town. The road from Ama Nwaozuzu is otherwise known as Uzo ashigbakwa, meaning (the God forsaken bad road). The people vowed never to go through that route back to Owerri even as it is closer to their destination. According to them, it is worse than a death trap as the survived coming to the Amanbaa village by God’s grace.
Joining me to express regret for the trip was the group who braced all odds to access the place from the God forsaken route. I suspect that what increased my heartbeat was when the rains began to drop heavily as the burial ceremony progressed. The rain showers sent shivers down the spines of road users who found their ways from Owerri to Uzoagba for the event. A driver who is familiar to the geography of the area offered to pilot them out of the area. Believing my eavesdropping on them has paid off; I quickly asked a friend I came along with to jump into his feet for the journey home. Tensed, we abandoned whatever that was placed on our table to join the convoy back to Owerri, the state capital.
The rain worsened the terrible situation of the road. The cars in the convoy swam through the mountainous gathering of flood all through the journey. At a time when the engine of my car quaked after swallowing enough water, I pitied the “jalopy” and came up with an idea to either abandon the car in somebody’s house in the area or disembark from the convoy and wait till the torrential rainfall was over, before I continue my journey back home. I pushed the car pedal forward further with others until we found ourselves at the Okatankwo end where three vehicles were already panting to escape the slippery and murky bridge. When the road across to Ekemegbuoha, in Umunahu, Uratta, Owerri North became a cul-de-sac for us as a result of the stranded vehicles on the sloppy hill, the convoy made a volte face and started heading to the Nkwo Emeke exit path of Uzoagba. The escape route road was hell too and appeared to be the mother of death trap for road users moving to and fro the community. We tried and meandered our way through despite stiff obstacle. I noticed that while we struggled to find our way out, my palpitation increased rapidly resulting to instant unwarranted headache.
But a tinge of drama occurred when we had successfully spent a better part of the evening finding our ways out of the Uzoagba community. Further prove that all is not well with roads in Imo State roads emerged when we swam a mini stream on the road from Nkwo Emeke to the Owerri Mbaise major road. Ironically, the road from Emekuku end of the Uzoagba Nkwo Emeke road is one of the recently asphalted roads of the state government, but the pool of water on it is capable of swallowing a vehicle as it stretched for about half a kilometer. Due to lack of proper shoulder and drainage, the menacing flood made mincemeat of the road. The lead car, a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), after crossing stopped abruptly, the second car, a Mercedes 230 Vboot, joined but had to stop perhaps due to mechanical fault resulting from excess intake of water. The next was a jeep that managed to cross followed by my Volkswagen Golf 2 car. Having noticed that the bigger cars were breathing for life with the drivers seeking solution to put them back to action after crossing the flooded part, I was panic-stricken on how to survive the flood. I am yet to ascertain the magic that saw my car cross the “Rubicon” even as I regret not making use of my SUV for the journey as the front wheel drive car has become guests to mechanics and electricians after surviving the uphill task of the Uzoagba movement. I have also learnt how to swallow HBP drugs.
Apologies to readers for taking time for the live experience tales, but I am constrained to state that roads in Imo need rescue. In apparent bid to challenge the present administration in the state which took over reins of power in 2011 and christened its regime “Rescue Mission” government, the roads in Imo indeed needs the government show why is branded Rescue Mission.
Perhaps, my experience in Uzoagba maybe a tip of the iceberg compared to what road users go through in the state. In Owerri, the State capital, for instance, motorists and drivers chose roads to follow to avoid risking the underneath and tyre structures of their vehicles. Road users undergo painstaking efforts to have access to places in the state. From Ohaji/Egbema to Obowo and from Okigwe to Owerri West, it has been public outcry against bad roads.
The so-called 800 kilometres of road the present administration claim it bequeathed Imo state may be sheer political campaign rhetoric and hogwash if a proper review of the state of roads in the state are considered. In Ideato South where the governor Okorocha comes from, Isiekenensi-Ntueke road, a major link road of people of his area has been cut off, no thanks to a deteriorated road facilitated by erosion. The Orlu-Nkwerre road is in shambles while other community roads similar to the Uzoagba experience are not cheerful. Space is not available to point out bad roads in the state because I will demand another page to highlight it.
Only recently, the PDP governorship candidate in the 2015 election who is challenging the victory of the APC candidate, Rochas Okorocha, Emeka Ihedioha lashed at the present administration for abandoning its major responsibilities to people of the state in terms of provision of good roads. He made this sarcastic statement at the burial of the wife of a prominent legal practitioner in the state while the second in command in the state, Eze Madumere was present. Ihedioha accused the state government of constructing poor and less quality roads which cannot be compared to the once he attracted. A helpless Deputy Governor decided to soak Ihedioha’s bile when he simply uttered that verbal exchanges and politics should not be mixed with solemn moment like burial ceremony.
In the state capital, there is hardly any part of Owerri you will easily access without encountering hiccups associated with bad road network. At Works layout off okigwe road, residents have stopped using their vehicles due to unchecked flood swallowing major roads thereby making movements difficult. Worse hit is the Control Post- World Bank and Imo Housing route extending to Umunguma town and General Hospital road on Porthacourt road. Other satellite towns of Egbu, Irete, Amakohia, Akwankuma remain no-go area as a result of bad road.
Suffice it to note that even the much acclaimed roads the present government built to ease traffic congestion in the State cannot stand the taste of time. Most of the portions of the road have been swept off leading to car-threatening potholes on the new road. Any motorist, who passes the controversial Jpross Road from Warehouse Roundabout to Emmanuel College end of Douglas Road, will think the new road that is barely two years old is meant for polo game or horse race. The bumpy patches and rough surfaces aptly confirm the “China road” nickname given to roads built by the present government. To save the masses the trauma of witnessing horrible experiences, road maintenance unit of the Ministry of Work should wake from slumber to rescue Imo roads and save road users from the terrible condition.
