Rivers: Motorists Agonise As Eneka-Rumunduru Road Worsens
Edith CHUKU
The torrential rains have increased the agony of motorists plying the Eneka-Rumunduru Road, through Rumuosunwo Community, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
This is following the terrible condition of a section of the road which has developed very dangerous potholes, leading to breakdown of vehicles, shut down of businesses, schools and relocation by residents living in the area.
The Pipeline axis of the road is worse affected as some houses and entrance to schools like Pripepa Golden West, have been submerged by the water.
Some business owners who spoke with TNN on Monday morning lamented over the difficulty they face trying to access their shops, mostly after it rains. They also decried that customers hardly patronize them during raining seasons.
For the tricyclists, their challenge was that passengers rarely enter their Keke. Also, that the dreaded section of the road was posing great danger to their tricycle which often breaks down in the water.
Commuters in their own part, frowned at the incessant increase in the cost of transportation in the area, as well as, the risk associated in using the road when it rains.
Aside the clustering of rainwater on the road, the deep potholes are indeed terrifying, it takes very experienced drivers, who are used to the road to navigate through without getting stock.
Speaking with newsmen in an interview, Mr. Joseph Itoro who owns a shop at the area explained that, “the road is very terrible. No drainage. The road is bad. Business here is like no business at all and this area is very strategic, very good business area but because of the bad road we are just leaving our house every morning and going back some times empty.
“Yes, sometime ago the road was filled by some youths. They used stones to fill some part and even tried to open the drainage that other side but it did not last. The water has gone down, let rain fall just one time, you will not even be able to cross to my shop.
“It is terrible my sister. We have been negging government we don tire. There was a time those boys at the junction there that used to collect money from Keke people even helped to do something. Those blocks there they scattered it but see for yourself.
“We have school, big school here. That place is a hotel. This pipeline, one school there, Pripepa water covered the outside. How will children enter the place? It’s very disturbing. Let the community people do something about it, please, that is my own. We are suffering on this road seriously.”
While recalling the effort made by the Eneka Youth Congress, some time ago, to cover some parts of the dilapidated road, a tricyclists who gave his name as Solomon Israel lamented that, “we are the ones suffering it. Yes, make I talk am as eh dey pepper me for body. Na we dey suffer pass.
“This Keke no be my own, I dey give daily account, I go put fuel, if eh spoil na my head, we go pay tasks, sometimes nothing dey follow person go house. This road dey spoil my keke well well, na the village people wey I get be this.
“My own na make them help us fix the road, shikina.”
Another tricycle rider, Nnamdi Odili said, “you have seen it; the road is very bad, if keke doesn’t spoil, water will full our keke and wet passengers because as car is coming like this, they will pour water into our keke and our passengers will also suffer it, so let them do this road, it’s really bad.”
Others who took turn to speak with our correspondent were a resident, along the waterlogged pipeline road, Mrs Elizabeth Jerry and a commuter, Elijah Godson. Their appeal was for the Community Development Committee of Eneka to swing into action and repair to road to avert complete collapse.
