For Records

Nkpa Bridge/Road: Suffering Dilapidation, Bracing Anger Of Rain God With Prayers

Published

6 years ago

October 26, 2019

Optimum Times

Eme bridge devastated by floods

From CHUDI UWANDU, on the spot

The plight of Nkpa in Bende Local Government, Abia State is as old as its existence and colonial administration. Situated just about 25 minutes drive away from the state capital, Umuahia but with experiences of chronic neglect by successive state and local governments administrations.

This is despite its abundant natural and human resources. Agrarian economy, whose sons and daughters occupies prominent positions at federal, state and local government levels at one time or the other.

But the community suffers dearth of infrastructure from the three tiers of government. Thus, any development project in the area has always been a product of self help or initiated by the indigenes. Its rural electrification was a case in point.

However, the community is always a beautiful bride in times of electioneering campaigns. Thus, politicians court their supports to win but unfortunately dump them and their issues afterwards immediately elections were concluded.

Nkpa roads ravaged by floods

The only infrastructure indicating government presence was the recent attempt at construction of Nkpa road at heat of 2018 election campaigns. As a project instigated by desire to lure voters, it was poorly executed and halfway abandoned. One imagines the state of it now given the ceaseless torrential rain falls.

The current experience and dilapidation of the road and Eme bridge was vividly captured by an illustrious son and concerned indigene, Chief CHUDI UWANDU with pictorial evidence narrates thus:

Eme bridge

For seven solid hours on October, 22, 2019, the heavens disgorged it’s belly and it’s contents poured uncontrollably on Nkpa and it’s neighbours from 3:30 to about 10:30 in the morning. It wasn’t just rain, it was a torrent. It raged like a starved lion, tearing Nkpa’s already dilapidated roads into shreds of gullies.

The bridge across the Eme river was swallowed at a time when the flood from parts of the town emptied into the river. Not a single road or path in the whole town was spared by the ravaging floods.

As the rain dropped heavily on roof tops like hammer on nail, the already washed major roads buckled . With a ferocity never witnessed before, the resulting flood, clawed with the fingers of the devil to tear them further apart.

Dilapidated road

The Amaohoro segment became impassable, a few houses away from its boundary with Amaokpu. The roaring flood, like an anaconda snake in flight, swept through to Rev. Adiele’s section emptying into a deep gorge that has almost cut the community into two. I could not trek up to the Technical School, nor the Amaegbuato axis, which they say has worsened.

But as the sky grumbled, dragging more rain down, in heavier tranches, Residents turned to prayers for the Eme bridge. Will it survive the onslaught? Will Nkpa be finally cut off from the rest of Abia?

The story of the Nkpa road project is very sour. It has been difficult, impossible? For the current State government to construct up to two kilometers in four years in spite of promises. It has further been mired in political intrigues by partisan gladiators.

Akara-Akoli road in disrepair

Are the gods angry? Angry at our activities on the Ecosystem? Angry at our ineptitude and lack of organisation? Has the devil beaten it’s wife and let her tears pour on us?

Yet we are not alone. Same deadly Monday rain has cut off traffic to Akara at Akoli. You have to travel through Ozuitem to go to Akara and beyond. No less than 10 Dangote cement trucks and heavy road construction equipment, have been stranded at the spot for more than a week. Again Young people gather there everyday for brisk money when they navigate brave Commuters who dared the new terrain.

The floods also overran a section between the rice field after Ngwu, Uzuakoli and Ubani. A Mercedes salon car skidded off the road and drowned in it.

Back to the Eme bridge and river, some young people are making brisk business ferrying and guiding courageous Commuters across at token fees.

Children couldn’t go to school nor parents step out of their homes till later in the day. The storm that accompanied the deluge locked them in.

Residents went into prayers for the bridge, which had just been patched by the Bende Local Government Authorities to be spared.

They say it had never rained with such fury and destruction in recent times, not even when it rained ceaselessly for five days . They pray it does not fall like that again for the bridge to survive, if it survives this.

Contracts for the construction and, or, rehabilitation of several roads in the Bende axis, were awarded by the Federal Government in the wake of last year’s general elections. Among them are some sections on the Umuahia to Arochukwu road.

Today, the works on them have failed. The said repairs seem to have left with the elections. There are new threats to the road that will manifest if it falls heavily again, this year.

In the meantime, travellers to Akara and beyond have to route their journeys via Ozuitem until the bad spot at Akoli is cleared.