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From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has blamed natural disasters, underground water, and unfavourable weather conditions for the failure of many portions of his road projects in different parts of the state.
Soludo, who did not give specific details about the natural disasters, when, where, and how they affected each of the failed roads, however, insisted that he had done some great jobs in the state.
The governor apportioned the blame through his Commissioner for Works, Okey Ezeobi, an architect, at a press conference in his office, yesterday, where he addressed the issues surrounding his projects in the state.
In Anambra, many people have heavily criticised Soludo’s road and bridge projects, saying that they were poorly done. Some have even labeled them as “biscuit roads” owing to their many failures. Many have even taken to social media with images and video evidence to back their claims.
Responding to the criticisms, the governor explained that his contractors did their jobs and that there was sufficient monitoring to ensure that the best jobs were delivered and according to specifications.
“Now, what has been the reason for these failures that we are seeing across the state? You know, in Anambra and in most parts of Nigeria, we are not used to natural disasters. But, the failures you are seeing on our roads are an effect of a natural disaster”, he clarified.
The governor, who latched onto the warning by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) on possible flash floods in 13 states between August 11 and 20, 2026 and a few other earlier warnings, said that the flooding, which the agency warned about, also contributed to the road failures in the state.
“Earlier in the year, NIMET warned us, Nigerians, and warned Anambra, that there was going to be huge flooding this year, that the flood this year will be like no other; that we should get ready to manage emergency situations, the volume of flood, the volume of rainfall, the volume of precipitation per minute. That warning came early this year.
“Now, we have not asked ourselves, where did that flood go to, all that water? They went underground. And if you know what you know about water, it starts to come up eventually, go back to where it came from and rain again. So, our earth in Anambra, in most cases, is well soaked with water.
“I don’t need to begin to say that these failures are general, not only in Anambra. It’s just because of the political atmosphere. Across, I don’t want to begin to call names, but even federal government projects.
“The rain this year is heavy. The water is underground. The water has to come up; especially the roads along already flood-prone areas”, he explained.
The governor, however, assured Ndi Anambra that their concerns would be addressed, saying that his administration was committed to delivering quality projects that would stand the test of time.
The governor also cautioned residents of the state against blocking the waterways and drainage channels with refuse dumps, saying that they were contributing to the road failures across the state.
