Nigeria: Imo's Ugly Past Gives Way to a Promising Future

19 July 2019
opinion

A shocking story appeared in some national newspapers with the scary headline in a leading online platform, "Okorocha Building Bridges without Professional Design, Engineers Cry Out." According to the story, then President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Kashim Ali, stated that bridges being built by then Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, were without plan and input from professional engineers. Mr. Ali whose tenure ended in April 2019, according to the story, made this revelation while addressing Senators, and put the nation on notice that several efforts by the association to call the state government, under Okorocha, to order had failed. Apparently exasperated, he warned that "in Imo State, there is a tragedy about to happen. Their bridges are being built without design." Continuing his narrative to the shell-shocked Senators of the out-gone 8th National Assembly, he chronicled their efforts to make Okorocha's government see reason and do the needful. Said he, "we went there, we said, let's see the design so that we can ascertain the condition of these bridges. We made a plea, they refused to give us. We asked for the engineers or anybody involved in this project so that we can at least interview and know the integrity of the bridges. So we had to make a pronouncement to the effect that there was a problem that such could cause but because we don't have enforcement power, we cannot stop the project."

Fast-forward to June 6th, 2018 - The bridge at Children's Amusement Park located at the Ikemba Ojukwu Centre, Owerri, built by former Governor Okorocha's administration collapsed during rainfall at night.

...

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.