Umuahia — The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has decried the deplorable state of federal, inter and intra-state roads in the South East region and said the region loses over N5 billion monthly excluding unquantifiable human losses being recorded daily on avoidable carnages on these roads.

This position was made know Friday by the national Vice President of NUJ Zone C, Mr. Ambrose Nwachukwu during the Union 's South East Zonal Conference at the Aguiyi Ironsi Conference Centre Umuahia.

According to the veteran journalist, the mandate of the press has gone beyond informing, educating and entertaining the public to include the social responsibility of resolutely defending the democratic belief of the people and possibly raise alarm over noticeable indices of threat to democracy.

He stated that the Nigerian masses are worried other the poor state of infrastructure, pervasive poverty in the country, corruption, unemployment, intractable energy crisis which though avoidable have stalled development of the country.

"The people's hearts are bleeding, their bodies are full of goose pimples as they sit by the side of the ocean yet washing their hands with saliva. In the course of our duties as journalists, we are privileged to have gone round the country repeatedly and I authoritatively inform you that no area is as dilapidated and down-throne as the east.

"All the federal, inter and intra state roads in the East have collapsed and have become death trap. It is believed that the legion loses more than #5 billion monthly excluding unquantifiable human losses as a result of poor network of federal roads.

"The irony of it all is that the National Assembly appropriates whooping sums of money for these roads annually yet not much is done to the detriment of the people. For instance, the federal roads linking Abia State and Aka Ibom State has totally collapsed and commuters now minder through bush paths, wasting hours of unending in search of roads to their destinations. Even the Port Harcourt - Aba - Enugu Expressway has continued to pose danger to the life and property of the people."

He therefore, called on the federal government to declare the South East geographical zone a disaster area and initiate urgent steps to rehabilitate the region even as the report of senate's ad hoc committee on the utilization of over #1 trillion votes for roads in the last eight years is being waited.

Adding his voice the National President of NUJ, Mallam Muhammed Garba, represented by the National Deputy President, Mr Rotimi Obamuwaju, said the South East was the worst in the country and depicted the shamelessness and planlessness of the Nigerian government.

He regretted that after 10 years of uninterrupted democracy, no remarkable impacts could be identified as insecurity, bad roads, hunger and epileptic power supply still stare the citizenry in the face, maintaining that Nigeria was better off before 1999 when the current political dispensation came on board.

The NUJ boss also hinted that arrangements had reached advanced level to float insurance scheme for practicing journalists in the country and decried the rampant killing s of journalists in various parts of the country and called on the federal governments to ensure the safety of media practitioners.

In his contribution, the former Commissioner for Information and Chairman of Isialangwa South LGA, Dr. A.C.B Agbazuere who was later conferred with an award of "Media Pillar of Support", charged journalists to be bold and eschew inferiority complex while discharging their duties.

The event which was chaired by the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue, also featured a lecture entitled "Media and challenges of Post - Election in Democracy" by the Dean Faculty of law, University of Nigeria, professor George Amadi, with delegates from NUJ councils of five South East States and other eminent personalities including the National Coordinator of Ohaneze in Diaspora, Dr. Mitchell Nnanta.