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| Old Abraka road - A symbol of Ika North East's dividend of democracy |
While there have been much complaints of the abandonment of Ika South LGA, the people of Ika North East, especially in Boji Boji Owa have been living with a open secret that the political masters of the area hate to talk about. As Ika Weekly report below, roads in Boji Boji Owa have quietly turned into unmotorable eye sores. That a local government area experiencing its best political advances in history could have it this bad even with a serving Senator, A representative in the Federal House, A representative in the Delta State House of Assembly and a former Acting Governor of Delta State, A Chief of staff to the State Governor, A Commissioner, An Ambassador can only be described as an act of wickedness.
Ika Weekly report:
In southern Nigeria, where lies Ika nation, under which Boji-Boji Owa is found, the long rainy season which starts in March and lasts to the end of July, with a peak period in June is yet to begin as considered by many, yet the metropolis has witnessed rainfall about five times since the beginning of the year, 2012. Before the first rain of the year, the major tarred roads have potholes and broken drainages, and the state of these roads are seriously turning from bad to worse after every rainfall.
The downpour of Tuesday, 6th March, 2012, left the popular convent Street in A pitiable State as a pothole at Obiazikwor Junction became so gross that if not for the intervention of a good Samaritan, the pothole was almost leading to the cutting off of the downhill of the street from the uphill, especially for vehicles.
In the early hours of Wednesday, 7th March 2012, when Ika Weekly visited the scene, Mr. Okeriafi Solomon Chukwuemeke, in charge of Solo Pool Centre, had already employed some youths to fill up the hole with sand.
While speaking to Ika Weekly, Mr. Solomon explained that under the slab lying over the drainage at the junction is blocked by stones and refuse brought by water from the hill, which two of the employed young men were trying to unblock as the others filled the enormous pothole in the middle of the road with sand.
He single-handedly financed the temporary filling of the pothole, unblocked the blocked drainage and also revealed that he has sent for a bricklayer who will mend a broken part of the drainage.
An English Language graduate of Delta State University Abraka, Mr. Solomon bemoaned the plight of unemployed youths in the society, adding that the game of who knows who in getting a good job is not fair, as more qualified graduates are left wandering in the streets.
He called on the government to see to it that roads are maintained and young graduates employed, so that they can contribute meaningfully to the society.
Another ugly sight is at Old Abraka Road, after the popular Efeizomor Street which has on its own been abandoned after a series of sand-filling and drainage construction.
The slippery mud at the scene after the rains is threatening motorists, and to cyclists, it is a danger zone.
When Ika Weekly visited the scene, motorists who dared to go through had to be very careful to avoid being stuck in the mud, while those who preferred to play safe made a turn around to take another route to their destinations.
Residents in the area reliably told Ika Weekly that they are tired of crying out to the government as their cry seems to be falling on deaf ears, adding that on several occasions, people from the medias and other organizations come around to take photos of the bad road, but those photos and their numerous comments have yielded no positive result as the government preferred to remain silent while they (residents) and other road users suffer.
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