Travellers from across several parts of Nigeria and beyond have described the Enugu section of the 9th Mile – Ugwu Onyeama to the 82 Division Nigerian Army headquarters, of the Enugu – Onitsha Express road as the worst Federal highway in the country.
Stakeholders have criticized the horrible state of the once busy dual carriageway, constructed and commissioned by the then President Shehu Shagari administration some 39 years ago, but now abandoned to become a deadly erosion site.
The present deplorable state of the Ugwu Onyeama portion of the once fully asphalted Enugu – Onitsha dual carriageway in the South East region of Nigeria, is a clear representation of the Biblical lamentation, “… How are the mighty fallen?”
Perhaps, aside from the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, the Enugu -Onitsha dual carriageway which is the Eastern section of the Trans Sahara highway, would have been the second busiest road in Nigeria.
But, this all-important continental highway has lost its past glories with its present dilapidated condition, which has turned it into a nightmare and death zone to motorists and commuters.
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The Eastern section of the Trans Sahara Highway, transverses through Onitsha – Enugu – Abakaliki – Cross River and to the Republic of Cameroon in the East African region of the continent.
It is the key international route linking West African countries with other East African countries, but this section is in such a terrible condition.
The same Enugu – Onitsha highway is also the link road to parts of the South East and the South-South states of the country to the Northern regions of Nigeria, as well as to the Western States of the country.
Motorists and commuters plying the road are telling tales of woes.
Sources claim that the Federal Executive Council, FEC had in March 2020 approved and awarded a contract to the tune of N29.46b for the reconstruction of the 15km section of the highway spanning through the 9th Mile – Ugwu Onyeama to the 82 Division, Nigerian Army headquarters interchange.
More than one year after, the project at best remains abandoned, subjecting the people and road users to untold hardships.
The pains and losses are devastating, just as the complainants are endless.
Yet, some people allege a conspiracy theory as the reason for the current fate of the road.
The question remains, who will save the ordinary road users who bear the burden of the worsening condition of this major highway.
(Editor : Paul Akhagbemhe)
