PH Residents Lament Worsening State Of SARS Road
3 min read
Edith CHUKU
Torrential rains have increased the agony motorists, tricyclists, business owners and pedestrians, following the deteriorating state of the SARS Road in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The link road, where you have the former SARS office has become a death trap and almost impossible for pedestrians.
Some sections of the road which leads to Obiri-Ikwerre, NTA Road, Rumuosi, Choba, Rumuokoro has been chopped off and covered with mud and water.
When TNN visited the area, a big truck with the logo and inscription, ‘Nigeria Labour Congress’ NLC, was submerged in the mud. Some of the respondents who spoke with our correspondent grumbled bitterly, urging the Nyesom Wike led Rivers State government to come to their rescue.
A shop owner who gave his name as Chukwuemeka Okoro expressed disappointment over the dilapidated nature of the road, which he lamented has affected their income severely.
Speaking in pidgin English, Okoro blamed the gory state of the road, which he said has been deserted on the Rumuokoro flyover.
His words, “this thing started since wey them dey build Rumuokoro flyover, this place come be bypass, all the heavy trucks, all those big motors, both Dangote that carry cement and Julius Berger motor, all those heavy trucks use to pass here.
“Now, they have finished Rumuokoro, this road don bad, eh don get coma, about three or four places for this road don get coma, since them use am as bypass, so now wey the road don spoil, who supposed to work this road, na we wey be private, wey dey do business here supposed work am? Na government supposed work am, since them close Rumuokoro all the motor, heavy truck dey pass here, now them don open Rumuokoro flyover, they should come and work this road.
“Look at this SARs road wey everybody know say no time wey hold up no dey dey here, this road dey dey busy, now look at SARs road, eh dey like place wey them run leave, abeg government, if you know wetin una go do, make una come work this road for us.
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“Yes, we dey pay, I pay for revenues, I pay tax, yes, I dey pay tax, look at, I dey pay for revenue, Obio/Akpor, I have all their stickers, so, even, I dey under Pillar, so I dey pay all those things, after paying it, look at, nothing is happening here, abeg government make una help us, come work this road, abeg.”
Okoro further decried that the dilapidated road has drastically affected patronage of their business. “That time I dey sell well well, see me now, I dey inside shop before I come out now nothing, since morning I have not sold anything, I dey since morning, nothing, if na before we dey sell goods well well, if na when this road good, we dey sell goods, apart from the time when them close Rumuokoro, because as them close Rumuokoro here come be bypass, more people come dey pass here, but even before then we dey sell market here well, well.”
Also, tricyclists and passersby took turns to express their displeasure over the state of the road. According to Marthar Adindu, “my sister we are tired of talking, our leaders are very wicked, this is the only road to our houses, places of work and it’s very bad.
“This is what government is supposed to do, but me I am saying that we should block the road and protest, maybe they will listen to us.”
Stanley Chimzi, “people have (sic) wound, serious one because of this road, my Keke have tumbled here, inside this water, is it the one that it will spoil? eh no good, government should help us.”
Frank Igbeneme, “this road needs immediate rehabilitation to salvage the people from their suffering, we have lamented over the dreadful state of this road, we have been appealing and we will continue to appeal to the state government to come to our aid and fix this road.”