•As Imo Assembly Adopts Motion To Rehabilitate Alternative Routes Linking Ideato North
By Onyekachi Eze
Reprieve is underway for Ideato North and South State Constituencies especially the Ideato North constituents as the long abandoned roads would soon be revisited.
Hope of reconstructing all dilapidated major roads that leads to Ideato North resurrected yesterday through the motion of urgent state importance moved by the Ideato North Member, Hon. Okechukwu Ernest Udeze.
At a sitting of the Imo State House of Assembly held on Wednesday July 26, 2023, Udeze expressed deep empathy for his constituents and all the users of the ever busy road linking Ideato North and the entire State.
Leading in his motion entitled, “Motion to urge the governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Sen Hope Uzodimma to direct the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Environment and the IRROMA to jointly rehabilitate the alternative routes linking Ideato North to other parts of the State”, Udeze explained that the people have suffered untold hardship occasioned by poor roads.
He added that Ideato is no longer passable and people suffer a lot in accessing other localities of the State.
Also, Udeze opined that, even though Senator Osita Izunaso representing Orlu Zone at the Senate had presented a motion at the Senate House in respect to that, there is still every need for alternative routes to be created and effectively rebuilt for the use of the public.
Furthermore, he submitted that while they wait on the Federal Government to come to their aid in reconstructing the road, the State Government may still put in palliative measures towards combating the recurring erosion menace and creating suitable linking routes.
Part of the prayers of the motion reads,
“Whereas Ideato North State Constituency has been cut off from the rest of the State as a result of critical condition of the roads linking the Local Government with the other parts of the State, making it very difficult for my constituents to move to other parts of the State;
“Noting that motorists now enter into people’s farms and bushes in order to avoid falling into the deep gullies and ditches on the bad road, thereby causing serious damages and mechanical problems to vehicles plying that road;
“Observing that Nkwerre-Omumaisiaku-Ogboko-Obiohia road and Ugbele BSc Orlu road being alternative routes linking Ideato LGA have been impassable and cut off by deep gully and potholes, and this makes it very difficult for my constituents to move to other parts of the State;
“Worried that the Urualla-Obodoukwu-Isiokpo-Akpulu road is not a better choice either. This road is even worse than the above mentioned road making movement out of the local government difficult;
“Aware that His Excellency Dist Sen. Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State has graciously flagged off the Re-construction of Orlu-Mgbee-Akokwa-Uga road in his usual first class massive road construction in the State. Ideato North will ever remain grateful to him”
The motion was co-sponsored by Honorables Chisom Ojukwu, Ikenna Ihezuo, Ugochukwu Obodo, Samuel Otuibe, and Vitalis Azodo.
Following the necessity of the motion and its relevance on the people, Lawmakers of the 10th House massively supported the motion and gave their overwhelming nod.
In the absence of dissenting voice, the House led by Speaker Chike Olemgbe resolved to urge the Governor to direct the Commissioner for Works to as a matter of urgency to rehabilitate and construct the alternative linking State routes that will connect the Nkwerre-Omumaisiaku-Ogboko-Obioha-Ugbele-BSc Orlu route and that of Urualla/Obodoukwu Isiokpo Akpulu linking routes.
Similarly, the House resolved to ask the governor to direct the Commissioner for Environment to do an Environmental impact assessment of the alternative routes linking Ideato North State Constituency with the rest of the state.
It also resolved to draw the attention of the Imo State Rural Roads Maintenance Agency, IRROMA to the deplorable state of the alternative routes linking Ideato North LGA with the rest of the state and to expedite action in the rehabilitation of the deplorable rural roads in Ideato North State Constituency.
