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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
For the residents of Ugboeke Layout, near Akpaka forest GRA, Onitsha Urban in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State, life is presently a daily routine of pain and anxiety despite residing in the city where they are supposed to enjoy basic amenities.
Ugboeke residents live in beautiful mansions built through personal struggles and enterprise but to access their homes presently or move out for the day’s businesses have been an embarrassing difficulty because of the absence of a bridge to pass through a small river that separates them from Akpaka Layout and the rest of the Onitsha business community.
Sunday Sun gathered that before now, there used to be a small improvised bridge which served its purpose of access to the layout until the bridge became weak and was eventually submerged by the volume of water from the Omambala/River Niger and Nkisi River.
Since the bridge broke down, residents of the area have been trapped in the layout as movement and accessibility became stalled.
A resident of Ugboeke layout, Chief Harrison Offia told the reporter that two years ago, the Soludo administration awarded the Akpaka Nsugbe road contract which includes a section connecting Housing Estate / Mopol Base to the 3-3 road. He said that while the Akpaka road and Housing Estate /Mopol Base section have been completed, the bridge linking Ugboeke Layout and Akpaka forest has remained a big challenge as work stopped on the project without fixing the bridge.
You either swim or board a canoe
Forced to abandon their private vehicles at home, residents resorted to swimming or making use of canoes to cross over to the other side or return home after the day’s business.
“We have been trapped. Those whose vehicles were outside the layout when the situation escalated left the cars there because there is no way to bring them in anymore. Those whose vehicles are parked here cannot move them out again. The only option was to access the services rendered by some canoe operators who now station the canoes at the point where the water cut us off. We pay, enter and they paddle the canoe to the other side of dry land where we disembark and then continue our movement with tricycle before we can get to our business areas. Then our children could also get to their schools. This has been our fate and our daily routine here” Offia lamented.
Apprehension, unending anxiety
Acting Chairman, Ugboeke Residents Landlords Association, Prince Chinedu Okonkwo described life in the layout as a daily nightmare. He noted that most children resident in the layout attend schools in Onitsha urban and must cross the river daily alongside their parents.
He expressed growing fears over potential boat mishap and possible drowning incidents on daily basis.
He further stated that the residents fully support the Soludo administration and urged the governor to expedite action in the construction work and also provide a standard bridge for the residents to ensure easy access for the community.
Okonkwo emphasised that provision of the bridge and completing the road project would facilitate easier evacuation of farm produce by farmers from the riverine communities of Anam into Onitsha by road, while also helping decongest traffic at the 3-3 Junction.
“When you prepare for the day’s business from your home, your heart must skip and beat faster when you remember that there is no thoroughfare from here to your destination. This situation has levelled all of us. It is a daily painful spectacle watching how all of us, no matter how big your status may be, line up with our belongings and children, file out to board the canoe and you will be anxious till you get out. This is a very frustrating situation.
“I don’t think that government knows the exact situation and what we are passing through here. That is why we are crying out so that the Solution administration can bring solution to us here. All of us resident in the layout are united in this appeal because this is not what we can handle on our own hence the appeal for urgent government intervention” Okonkwo stated.
We have water phobia, government should help us
Treasurer of the Ugboeke Landlords Association, Chikereuba Idoko lamented the psychological trauma children of the area endure daily while commuting to school. He pleaded for urgent government attention on the situation through the provision of a bridge in the area to alleviate the resident’s suffering.
“In the community where I come from, we don’t have streams or river of any kind so we don’t know how to swim. In fact, my people first warn you as you are leaving the village to the city to practically run away from the River Niger to avoid drowning. My children also grew with the same mindset but today, they have to cross the river on daily basis heightening the same phobia and trauma. This is the predicament of most residents in this layout and that is why we are sending SoS to Governor Soludo to come and save us from this situation.
“The problem now is that the small iron bridge that previously served residents has been submerged due to rising water level from the Omambala/ Nkisi River, effectively isolating the community and cutting off the residents from the rest of the city dwellers” he stated.
Anambra government aware of the situation –Works Commissioner
When contacted on the matter, Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Ifeanyi Okoma, an engineer, acknowledged government’s awareness of the residents’ plight and assured that efforts are underway to resolve the situation subject to availability of funds. He said that the Soludo administration remains committed in its urban renewal agenda through infrastructure upgrade.
“That area has been associated with water logging problem because of its location within the Omambala River/ Nkisi and River Niger. But I will find out the scope of the construction work in the area to know whether it covers the bridge construction or not. The administration is also handling various construction projects going on simultaneously and we are also prioritising based on available funds but I want to assure the people of the area that their challenges will be addressed. We share in their concerns,” he stated.
