Ebonyi Women Protest Against Abandoned Work On Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway
The women of the Ntsuruakpa Izhia community in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi, on Tuesday, protested against the alleged abandoned work on the Abakaliki-Enugu expressway axis of the area.
The women said the abandonment had led to incessant road crashes that claimed lives and property in the area.
They called on the federal and state governments to expedite actions on the ongoing repair work on the road.
The leader of the group, Mrs Blessing Okweshi, expressed displeasure about the incidence of road crashes in the area.
“The worst among all was the deadly accidents that occurred on this road on Sunday. The accident claimed the lives of a pregnant woman and a man on the spot.
“Many lives have been lost along this Abakaliki-Enugu highway, and you can see how bad the road is with a lot of heaps without road signs.
“We have come out to stage a peaceful protest to condemn this ugly act because our people are tired of dying like fowls because of the slow pace of work on this road,” Okweshi said.
Also speaking, the traditional ruler of the Ntsuruakpa Izhia community, Chief Joseph Okafor, blamed the contractor handling the road project for the incident of road crashes.
Okafor, therefore, called for more commitment to the repair work to avert accidents.
“Everybody is weeping over the gory nature of the road and its deadly effects since last year,” the traditional ruler said.
Mr Ikechukwu Odono, Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, urged the women to embrace peace and assured them that he would meet the contractors on the need to complete the project.
The State Commissioner for Capital Territory and Urban Development, Mr Sunday Inyima, also advised the protesters to embrace peace and pledged to take the message to relevant authorities.
Ebonyi Women Protest Against Abandoned Work On Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
