The Politics And Mismanagement Of Obosi Bye-Pass

The Obosi bye-pass is a core federal government road that short-circuits road travel from a host of states; Imo, Abia, Rivers, Cross-River, Akwa-Ibiom and other south eastern states via Onitsha to parts of Enugu state and the Northern states. It is a very strategic road economically and otherwise. Without the road, traffic from these states have to enter Onitsha town and get bogged down in serious hold-up with its attendant effect on time. Time as they say is money and money is very very tight in Nigeria. Hence any saving in time is very value-adding to lives of the ordinary, hard-working and suffering Nigerian masses that live in despair and desolateness on a daily basis.

But in Nigeria, government at all levels have abdicated their responsibilities to the populace. Education is neglected, security of lives and properties are neglected, health-care has been abandoned and infrastructure left to decay including roads, including this very crucial Obosi bye-pass. A functional Obosi bye-pass will cut down journey time by about two hours. That is how crucial this road is.

This crucial road has been left to decay since the early 80’s, the last work done on it and shabbily been by Hardel and Enic Construction Company Limited in 1982-83, a whopping twenty-five (25) years ago. The fall out of the neglect of this road has been mostly the economic strangulation of user states in general and Anambra state in particular. The road has recently deteriorated to such an extent that it not only cut into two but claimed lives and destroyed properties in its wake recently as reported by the Nigerian news media. This is where the politics and mismanagement sets in.

The politics being, why was such a crucial road neglected to the extent that it has claimed lives and destroyed properties? Why are federal government projects in the South east almost always abandoned? Where are the so-called Igbo politicians? The PDP big wigs, the Andy Uba’s, Ojo Maduekwe’s that they cannot ‘fight and grab’ for their people like the rest of Nigerian politicians do.

The mismanagement, which I rest on the shoulders of Anambra state government being, what was the state government doing all this time allowing the road to fall into such a mess? Roads do not decay overnight.

Be that as it may that it is a federal government road and not a state road and that contract for its repair has been awarded by the inept Obasanjo administration but the contractor under-funded. The crucial point is that the road affects mostly Anambra state indigenes and not some a***-holes in Abuja who do not give a hoot about the state of the road and as such the state government should have intervened much earlier than now to effect remedial or other measures. The Anambra state governor is now shouting to high heavens, the senator from the zone equally screaming. But why was intervention left late? The contractor handling the road project complained about shortage of funds. Why did the state government not provide the funds and seek reimbursement later from the federal government? For this would have been a neater process than the state government re-awarding the contract and struggling to agree costs and terms with the federal government. In a nutshell, the Anambra state government ought to have assumed direct responsibility for the funding whilst claiming back the funds later.

The Anambra state government is busy constructing a stadium complex, a state secretariat, a so-called stock-exchange building, projects that I term white-elephants at present and yet the crucial Obosi bye-pass is left to rot, there is no pipe-borne water at all in Onitsha, Obosi, Ukpor and the rest of the state. What a priority?

There is mismanagement and misplacement of priorities everywhere in the state. Strategic and sensible projects are abandoned and sacrificed at the altar of egoistic and non value-adding projects. Tell me, what use is a Stadium complex compared to a functional Obosi bye-pass? What use is a multi million pound Stock Exchange building compared to available pipe-borne water in the state?

During the regime of late Sam Mbakwe, the whole world witnessed how he bullied, cajoled, blackmailed and cried his way to Shehu Shagari’s heart to draw attention to his state, Imo and especially the state of the federal roads in Aba at that time and successfully, too. That is what I call ‘value-adding politics’ and not what is obtained in Nigeria at present and Anambra state in particular where government projects have no bearing on what is on the ground.

The regime of Chris Ngige would not have left the Obosi bye-pass to deteriorate to the extent that lives have needlessly been wasted on it as a result. The present regime in Anambra state has just done that.

May the soul of the Nigerians that died as a result of the neglect of Obosi bye-pass and other needless deaths Rest in Perfect Peace, Amen.

 

Chidi Anyaeche Mr.

10 Winnington Road

Enfield , London

EN3 5RH

UK

Tel. 07956 367 576

Email. chidi_anyaeche@hotmail.com