Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly on Wednesday declared a state of emergency on all the federal roads in the state and other parts of the South-East.
The development followed a motion in which the member representing Nsukka-East constituency, Chinedu Nwamba, raised the alarm over the dilapidated state of the federal roads in the zone.
The motion urged the House to condemn the deplorable state of the federal roads in the zone.
Before resolving to declare a state of emergency on the roads, the lawmakers took turns to express reservations over the situation.
They demanded an urgent action from the Federal Government on the issue.
While moving the motion, Nwamba said, “Residents in Enugu State and its environs for over a decade now are faced with myriads of problems as a result of the deplorable condition of federal roads here.
“It seems the state is forgotten in the area of road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of federal roads. Incidentally, this ugly trend has persisted despite promises made by successive federal administrations.
“Among the roads in the question, the Port Harcourt-Enugu and Onitsha- Enugu expressways are in the most pitiable conditions.”
The lawmaker observed that the “Enugu-Onitsha Road, which usually takes about 40 minutes to transit when the road was in good condition, now takes three hours.
“On the Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway, the story is the same as the journey which normally lasts for two hours is now five hours,” he added.
The poor conditions of the concerned roads have undermined the economy of Enugu State and that of the entire South-East, the legislator lamented.
In addition to the socio-economic challenges faced by the zone as a result of their poor conditions, lives and property were in danger on the roads, Nwamba said.
He pointed out that several lives had been lost on the roads, which he described as deathtraps.
After the deliberations, the House declared a state of emergency on all the federal highways in the state and the others in the zone.
The lawmakers also asked the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, to immediately commence the rehabilitation of the concerned roads.(Punch)
