ALPHONSUS NWEZE
9 April 2004
Onitsha — COMMUTERS and motorists plying the ever-busy Niger River bridge-Upper Iweka road in the commercial town of Onitsha, went through harrowing experience between Tuesday and Wednesday as they got stuck on the bridge due to the on-going rehabilitation of the road.
The commuters arriving Onitsha from different parts of the country disembarked from their vehicles to either trek long distances or take commercial motorbikes popularly called Okada to their various destinations.
Asaba-bound passengers from Onitsha who normally paid N60 paid N200 in mini-buses which got stuck few metres away from the park.
Okada operators cashed in on the situatioin as they charged passengers between N100 to N500 depending on their destinations.
Residents at Asaba who work in Onitsha especially bankers went through hellish experience as some of them who managed to return home, came back as late as 2.00 a.m. only to meet the hold up Wednesday morning.
A lot of them abandoned their vehicles and resorted to Okada to beat the frustrating traffic-hold up.
Although the road has been experiencing traffic hold-up for a long time due to its deplorable state, the latest one was worsened by the reconstruction work on the road and Tuesday's downpour at Onitsha.
The Federal Government awarded the rehabilitation of the road virtually a month ago to RCC for about N500 million. The construction company had closed one of the lanes to commence reconstruction but the second lane could not take the heavy vehicular movements along the road.
Some commuters and motorists who spoke with Daily Champion expressed bitterness at the neglect of the road by the Federal Government.
Mr Willy Nwosu, a commuter, said "if not for the gross neglect of the road and South East the second Niger Bridge would have been completed by now."
He said for three consecutive days, vehicles had been on top of the bridge, expressing fears that very soon the bridge will collapse.
"It is then that they will hurriedly award the contract so that they can make quick money," he alleged.
Mr Nwosu, who was travelling from Lagos to Abuja, wondered why Federal Government is starting the rehabilitation of the road just few days to the Easter," when they know that people from this area will travel in droves to the countryside and when the rainy season is just setting in?"
He said the road was supposed to have been awarded since December so that by now it would have been completed.
Attempts to get the engineer in-charge of the Bridge, Mr Oheme was not successful as he was said not to be in office.
However, the Project Manager of RCC, Rev. (Dr) Ferry Eze, blamed the traffic hold-up to the indiscipline of Onitsha traders, saying that they had widened the other lane to accommodate three vehicles. He said instead of the drivers to exercise patience, they block other vehicles in a bid to get out of the hold-ups.
Rev. Ferry also blamed the police both regular and mobile, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives, luxury bus owners, task force, state government task force, Okada riders mini-bus drivers, touts, market, women and traders along the road for the traffic jam.
He said traders parked vehicles along the road, thus narrowing down the width of the road.
The project manager appealed to the state Governor, Dr Chris Ngige to give him towing van to tow all the vehicles parked along the road.
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