A group, Recover Nigeria Project(RNP) on Wednesday blocked the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, causing chaos and hardship among motorists in Awka, Anambra state.
The Shut down of the road which lasted one hour saw hundreds of vehicles, including articulated vehicles, politicians’ convoys and other road users trapped.
The leader of Recover Nigeria Project, Mr Osita Obi said the group decided to embark on the protest to bring to the knowledge of the government the plight of road users, because of the bad spot.
He said, “This is just a small portion, which will not take 50 bags of cement, some stones and workers to fix, but it has remained like this for years, and uncountable number of people have lost their lives on this spot.
“The governor uses this road, senators and top politicians from Anambra and beyond all use this road, yet they pretend not to see the rot on this spot. Just yesterday, I was almost hit by an articulated vehicle here, and several accidents have happened here within the week. We cannot continue to fold our hands.”
Obi charged the state and federal governments to immediately commence work on the failed portion of the road, saying that failure to heed the plea will lead him and his group to return for a bigger protest.
Chairman Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University chapter, Steve Ubaro who also mobilised his members to the protest said a professor of the University was last week involved in an accident on the spot while returning from work.
The leader of National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS), Mr Okolie Ikechukwu also told DAILY POST that a student who also drives a shuttle bus was recently involved in an accident on the spot, causing him to lose an ear.
Ikechukwu said that within the week, no fewer than five accidents have been witnessed on the road, and because it was a regular route for students of the university, it decided to join in the protest.
Commissioner for Transport, Hon Uchenna Okafor who addressed the group on behalf of the governor insisted that the road was a federal road, but promised to take words back to the governor for immediate action.
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