By EDISON Okereke

Once again, a concerned former lawmaker in Imo State, Hon Nwosu Anyadike, has pleaded with the state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, to come to their aid over the harrowing experience they face daily occasioned by bad roads in his Ezinihitte Mbaise constituency.

He pointed out that the road challenge has affected not only the economic activities but the social life of the people.

Anyadike who represented the good people of Ezinihitte Mbaise State Constituency between 2019 and 2023, in the State House of Assembly, made the passionate plea in an exclusive interview with Daily Nigerian Horn, at the weekend.

The one-time legislator informed that none of the roads in the twelve (12) wards in the constituency is passable any more, adding that it is worse in the rainy season when the people usually make a detour through the adjoining local governments of Ahiazu or Aboh Mbaise before they can access their houses in the council area.

Mr Anyadike also noted that Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA is the only council area in the state which has no commissioner so far appointed by Governor Uzodimma, and beseeched him to look into the imbalance too.

He however doffed his hat for Uzodimma for the massive road and other infrastructural structures he is institutionalizing across the state, and appealed to him to extend the good work to Ezinihitte.

Anyadike recalled his effort in this regard when he said that he sponsored not less than six different bills which were passed in his time as the Minority Leader and the House Committee Chairman on Works, and they were captured by the budget, but regretted that nothing positive came out from the efforts as the decision to have carried them out depended on the Executive Arm.

He warned those who make a mountain out of a molehill in every innocuous statement to steer clear of this honest, sincere appeal of his to the Governor to include Ezinihitte in the scheme of his 3R development mantra in the state.

He said, “I just want to express my honest opinion and make a definite opinion to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Imo State regarding the state of the roads in Ezinihitte Mbaise as the only constituency in Imo State that has no just single, even a ‘China road’ to interlink the twelve electoral wards of Ezinihitte,” saying it is only in the first or second week of December that there could be economic, social, or family connections and meetings because of the impassable bad roads….”

He noted that the LGA contributed towards the success of APC at the last polls.

“In the last guber election, Ezinihitte massively voted for the governor. And when people expressed their willingness to cooperate with the government then the reward is social amenities which the Executive has the responsibility to provide for them.

“We are saying, Your Excellence, sir, you are doing well and you are doing very, very well. Okigwe to Owerri is passable today; Owerri-Egbu-Emekuku-Afo Enyiogugu to Aboh-Ahiazu Mbaise and Obowo which you can simply say is from Owerri to Umuahia where the boundary ends from Owerri to Abia State, is now passable. Practically the whole local governments on that highway have all benefited from the government. It is only Ezinihitte. The only local government that connects Ezinihitte with the other local governments is from Aba-Branch, Ehime, passing through Ahiazu, Aboh Mbaise, is nothing to write home about. During rainy season we suffer too much. We cry a lot!

“The roads from Orlu to Owerri have been built; the road from Okigwe to Owerri, the road from Mbaitoli axis and those areas into Owerri. Then His Excellency has also built the road from Owerri connecting Rivers State —the road connecting Imo and Rivers, but Ezinihitte connecting local governments of the state. We don’t care even if it is a ‘China road,’ build at least one road! We need one that can make life, economic, social activities of the people of Ezinihitte possible.

“All of these massive constructions all over the place —look at how they beautify the town; how he has beautified the state; how he is making Imo State into a stardom in Nigeria, as one of the states today that rank very high both in economic natural endowment, both in terms of infrastructure —look at what he is doing at Concorde Hotel, look at what he is doing on inter-city roads in Owerri and the one he is doing by the Assumpta Cathedral (Control Post) connecting Onitsha, Bank road, and then Port Harcourt road. He has done marvelously well. I give him that credit and we are happy with that.

“We are only asking the Governor,. Please we know every Executive has its own priority. We have not gotten a commissioner neither are we having anything against that because the governor has the right to invite people to work with. We have not had any commissioner within five or six years this government has been in power.”

He warned against those who might see his plea in political light “Just to say those who are seeking political attention shouldn’t come out and start making fool of themselves by attacking the publication. It is not for any political gains neither am I fighting any political war nor inciting any group or people. No. I am independently expressing my concern, and appealing to my Governor to help us. That’s all.

“I am not the current House of Assembly member nor the Federal House, nor the senator, but I am speaking as the concerned son of Ezinihitte and Imolite.

“Industrialization and security have returned to Imo State. If Ezinihitte does not get one, even if it a half kilometre road that can make economic and social life easy for the people of Ezinihitte —if we don’t get, all these achievements, to us, didn’t make any sense.

“So we are just appealing to him to look into our plight and hear our cry. I am speaking on behalf of nobodies in Ezinihitte so that His Excellency can hear us, and attend to us, and ameliorate our suffering by giving us just one road only. This is all I am for, sir.

“When I was in the House of Assembly as the Minority Leader and House Committee Chairman on Works, I inserted into the budget not less than six roads, for Ezinihitte State Constituency. And they were awarded. The debate was concluded and those bills passed. Unfortunately, the Executive had their way —how they conduct their execution. When a budget is passed it has become a law. Now those 2019 and 2020 Appropriation Bills which are now law is not followed. So if the current elected members do not see the need. Well, it is up to them. I am not here to judge anybody. I’m appealing to His Excellency to look into the plight of the people and just help them. Just one ‘China road’ only. It will go a long way and make Ezinihitte State Constituency a part of Imo State,” he stated.

Anyadike nevertheless applauded Hon Emeka Chinedu Martin over his quality representation of Ezinihitte/Ahiazu Mbaise Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, saying the parliamentarian has done so well in erecting health centres, classroom blocks, awarding scholarships, building roads, and sinking boreholes in the constituency, among other life-touching projects.

Anyadike also thanked other Ezinihitte sons and daughters helping to move it forward.
One of them is a businessman, Chief Akachi Alozie, for assisting in the capacity of road, school, market building, and disbursement of scholarship.

He also appreciated High Chief Matthew and Mrs Obi Ugwu for painstakingly renovating all the ward health centres, and some roads in Ezinihitte.

Just as he extended his heart-felt gratitude to Sir Peter Ako for attracting solar street lights to the LGA.