DECAY OF NATION’S ROADS BLAMED ON COLLAPSE OF RAILWAYS

Guests on Radio Nigeria Enugu Zonal Political Programme,“Political Watch” have advocated the handover of construction and maintenance of roads and other critical infrastructure in the country to competent and transparent companies to manage.

One of them and Convener, New Enugu Project and Governorship candidate in 2019 election in Enugu State, Mr. Ekene Uzodinma explained that politicization and engagement of incompetent firms to handle the repairs and constructions of roads were some of the reasons roads in the South-East Zone were in bad state.

Mr. Ekene Uzodinma also blamed the spate of deterioration of roads on pressure by overused cars, buses and heavy duty vehicles that plied the road due to the collapse of railways and poor use of air and water transport systems, which should have helped reduce the burden on the roads.

He however called on political leaders in the Zone to use their allocation to provide basic infrastructure.

Also an elder statesman and one-time Commissioner for Education in the old Anambra State, Chief Nduka Eya blamed the deplorable condition of roads in the South-East on lack of political will by successive administrations and called on the citizenry to hold contractors and government accountable.

Chief Eya who stressed the need for continuity in governance to prevent abandoning of projects, said the current constitution in use was not people-oriented and needed to be amended.

Callers in the programme encouraged fellow citizens to be patriotic to the country for rapid development and better life for all.

OBINNA OGBUKA