Okpalaume Mary
Of all the basic amenities that bring even economic development to any society, provision of good motorable and passable roads is of utmost importance. This is the reason why political aspirants, in a bid to secure certain seats, hammer on promises of rehabilitating old roads or constructing new roads all in an attempt to win the hearts and votes of the citizenry. Unfortunately, many of these political office holders literally throw such promises to the wind once they reach their goal thereby smashing the hope of the citizenry as the roads continue to deteriorate.
Owing to this fact, residents in many parts of Sapele have decried the state of bad roads in the metropolis which have caused and is still causing untold hardships and inconveniences to pedestrians and motorists as they continue to face the daunting challenges of passing through bad spots and water logged pot holes of various sizes causing the hike in transportation fares to certain areas. They are calling on the government to make haste in repairing the dilapidated roads in the metropolis for stress free movement and economic growth.
The roads are manageable during the dry season but now that the rainy seasons are here, the scenarios of bad roads have changed for the worse leaving residents and commuters who ply them to bear the grunt.
Since the rains began, the state of roads have worsened and adding to the lack of or no traffic regulators in the main roads, massive gridlocks of vehicles which last for hours have continued to grace the roads particularly the single route of Gana Road, from ABC junction to Gana Market, and Ajogodo by Okpe Road junction causing nightmarish experiences for commuters who plough the routes especially during rush hours in the mornings and evenings.
The deplorable state of roads in Gana-Ugberikoko area has turned the roads into death traps which have succeeded in claiming several lives of road users and causing serious injuries. Going by the severity of the situation in the roads, motorists spend hours maneuvering their way through the single lane of Gana-Ugberikoko Road, which has continued to suffer erosion and deterioration.
Some persons who spoke to this reporter attributed the bad roads not only to wear and tear but also to the astronomic increase in population in the area and increase the number of vehicle owners over time.
The motorcycle riders, popularly known as okada riders now capitalise on the opportunity to have a filled day as they have mastered the riding act of manoeuvring and meandering through traffic gridlocks with little or no difficulty. Perhaps, it was during one of such manoeuvring that a pregnant woman lost her life a couple of weeks ago when the motorbike she boarded was crushed by a car resulting to the death of the woman on arrival to the hospital.
The state of Gana Road has continued to assume a frightening dimension for the sole reason that it continues to serve as the only road linking Urhuoakpa, Ugberikoko, Oton and Abigborodo areas. Obviously, all other linking roads have not had the privilege of receiving the blessing of the government in the past and present administrations. Uko Road which is the second longest road in Gana axis, Ajolor Road, Overah Road and other smaller streets also fall within this bracket.
In this new political dispensation, residents are calling on the government at both the local and state levels to hitherto take adequate measures and ensure that the roads are reconstructed and expanded with good drainage systems. They also emphasised the need for proper town planning which they believe are some of the root causes of the deplorable roads in Gana area are properly handled.
Mr. Dennis Amos, a Gana bus driver shares his experience on the state of Gana and Uko Roads respectively: “The road is a total write off. The only remedy is reconstruction. it is full of deadly potholes and has cause series of accidents. Our vehicles are damaged and the traffic jam is terrible especially during week days when students go to school. Sometimes we spend hours on the road and it is tiresome and rigorous. The situation is unbearable but there is nothing we can do.”
Similarly, roads linking the ultramodern Sapele Main Market need immediate attention. True to his promise, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa is personally seeing to the quick completion of market and the contractor has promised to complete it by the end of 2015. However completing and re-opening of Sapele ultra modern market with all modern amenities like cold rooms, jetties, banks, warehouses et al would yield little or no effect if all the roads leading to the market are not accessible owing to the bad roads of Market Road, Hausa Road by Boyo Road junction (popularly called market junction) and Palm Avenue.
Joseph Palmer, a tricyclist lamented bitterly about the condition of the Market junction. “I don’t get to that area anymore. I cannot pass there with my keke. The government should make every effort to repair the road and make life easy for us.”
Israel a commercial driver also commented: “I reversed at this point because the bad spot in market junction has caused serious damages to vehicles. I think there are bad objects in the water that causes our tires to leak whenever we pass through that place. This road has been like this for over six years and our government is not doing anything about it. Something should be done about it as soon as possible.”
The poor condition of the roads have also caused motorists, tricyclists and motorcyclists to practically avoid the routes to save their vehicles from visiting the mechanic’s workshop earlier than envisaged. It has as well caused low patronage to traders and storeowners in that vicinity as even pedestrians have difficulty meandering through the bad roads.
Mrs. Umeh Divine, a cosmetic trader complained bitterly about the state of the roads asserting that many of her customers no longer patronize her because “they are avoiding this road.”
If road users on major tarred roads have difficulty in freely plying the roads, the fate of road users and residents in areas where earth roads are found can be best imagined. Normally some of such roads never absorbs the stagnant nauseating waters even in dry season but this year’s rains seems to have brought worse degradation on the roads, and sufferings, dirt and diseases on the residents.
A check on the condition of the roads by this reporter showed that almost all the earthen roads in Sapele metropolis and its adjoining suburbs are in dire need of construction. Many of such roads are almost permanently overtaken by bushes, stagnant waters and dirt. The situation looks worse in Izu Road, Lawrence Road, Ojolu Quarters, Shell Road, Ajimele, Bini Road and Crudas Road as these areas have received little or no government attention over years.
