By Chukwuka Ugokwe
The Traditional Ruler of Ebenebe, Igwe Chris Nnaegbuna, has commended Gov. Chukwuma Soludo for completing the Amansea-Ebenebe-Ugbenu-Ugbene-Awba-Ofemili road project, which had suffered long abandonment since its commencement.
The monarch, who spoke to newsmen in his palace in Ebenebe, explained that completing the project, which was started by a former Governor, Peter Obi in May 2007 and suffered long abandonment, is a sign of Prof Soludo’s love for the people of the agrarian communities.
The royal father, speaking through the Palace Public Relations Officer, Chief Ezekiel Okafor, noted, “Prior to the completion of this road, this part of the state had suffered untold hardship. Despite being the food basket of Anambra State, our people could not easily bring out their harvested products to markets in city centres.
“But, since this road was commissioned, transportation stress has eased off. We can evacuate our agric produce to urban centres where they command high economic value. “We promise with what he has done for us, to continue to support his government.
On the prices of transportation and items since the road was delivered, the monarch said that there has been a tremendous change.
“But for the current economic hardship in the country, the change would have been huge but the pump price of fuel had rubbished it. What we gain from the good road, we lose to the high cost of transportation occasioned by high cost of fuel per litre.
“Before, we were complaining of bad road, but now, the only complaint is about high price of petrol. Years ago, from here to Awka cost between N800 to N1000. But now, they have reduced their price to between N500 and N600”.
Igwe Nnaegbuna gladly noted the implication of the good road on the development of the benefitting communities.
“Yes, many people are coming into this place to buy land and rent accommodation so that they can be going from here to work in Awka. We now face the challenge of making houses available for them”.
He called on the state government to pay attention to the health needs of the people of the areas.
“We are also calling on the government to come and explore our vast land here for development. We don’t have a general hospital serving this part of Awka North.
“So, we are asking the government to come and establish one in Ebenebe to serve our people from Amansea, Ebenebe, Ugbenu, Ugbene and Awba-Ofemili. What we have here is a private hospital and the health centres around have no doctor.
On security, he said, “we are doing our best with the vigilantes. But, we are still having some challenges here and there. We plead with the government to make arrangement for the security of lives and property in this community”.
Be that as it may, the Ebenebe monarch called for construction of additional speed breakers within the community to reduce the spate of road accident due to over-speeding by drivers, tricyclists and motorcyclists.
“That is very important. But, apart from it, we plead that government takes care of water flow by expanding the drainage channel everywhere it is found necessary.
“The previous gutter there was too small to contain the volume of water. We plead that they expand it to save the road from deterioration in a short period,” the royal father pleaded.
Ugokwe is of the State Ministry of Information, Anambra State
