Imo community shot down activities over bad road to LGA headquarters

The usual social and economic activities in Umuewere Nguru, in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo State, were temporarily paralysed on Wednesday following a protest over the deplorable condition of the road leading to the council headquarters in Umuneke.

The protesters, numbering in their thousands and comprising youths, elderly men, and women from the community, expressed their anger over the abandoned road, which they said has crippled their economic well-being.

Carrying placards, marching across the community, and chanting solidarity songs before heading to the LGA headquarters in Umuneke, the demonstrators lamented that they could no longer access the river for sand dredging—their major source of income—or connect easily to Umuneke for other businesses.

Speaking to newsmen during the protest, the leader, Nze Victor Offor, described the situation as most unfortunate, regretting that the bad state of the road has cost Umuewere dearly, both socially and economically.

Also speaking, a female protester, Mrs Rita Egere, said the road once served as an economic artery of the community, as travellers usually stopped to buy farm produce and other goods displayed along the roadside.

She lamented: “Today, the road is impassable. There are no vehicles, not to mention passengers, to buy our goods.”

The village chairman, Mr Ugochukwu Ekeji, expressed disappointment that instead of enjoying the advantage of being close to the local government headquarters, Umuewere people are suffering untold hardship because of the abandoned road. He noted that the road had been awarded several times by various administrations in the state but was always left uncompleted by contractors.

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He said: “The most annoying part is that the road was at least manageable before the contractor came, removed the sharp sand that had been used to maintain it, and then sold more than 100 truckloads of it.”

Adding his voice, another community leader, Barr. Odunze Okerengwo, blamed contractors for worsening the road’s condition and causing more harm to the community.

Similarly, a resident, Mr Chidi Njoku, said many businesses in the community have relocated to other areas, thereby de