Rivers Varsity Students Decry Cost Of Transportation *OPM-Eneka Road worsens
3 min read
Edith CHUKU
Students of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt are calling for the urgent intervention of the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, to mitigate the cost of transportation in the area, even as motorists plying the Eneka-OPM link road continue to cry for help, following the deplorable state of the road.
This plea was made as a result of the recently increased cost of transportation from the Whimpy Junction to the IAUE school gate. Before the recently experienced scarcity of fuel in the state, students were paying N100.00 from Whimpy junction to school gate. When the increment was made, it was believed to have resulted from the scarcity and hike in the cost of fuel, but weeks after the era of scarcity, drivers have refused to revert.to the initial N100.
Speaking with TNN, a student who preferred to speak on grounds of anonymity noted that some drivers claimed that the school authority is aware of the increment. According to her, some drivers, when we complain, will tell us to go and ask our school, that they are aware, we don’t understand. Is it the school authority that asked them to increase? N50 is nothing but for those of us that are training ourselves, even N5 is money, please, our VC should come to our aid.
Another student, Emmanuel Nathaniel, a student of the school said “when they started collecting N150, we understand because then, there was no fuel, but now that there is fuel, they are still collecting N150
“I don’t know their reason, some when you talk, they will ask you to come down, they will just get angry, some will tell you to go and ask school, who be school na? so, I don’t know, I only know that it is not fair on us, we are students.
On the nearly impassable Eneka-OPM link road, Elder Samuel Anyanwu, a Keke Napep driver said, “we have tired to beg, we don beg and beg, still nothing, so, we go dey manage am until God touch person.
“This road, they have done it up to four times, eh still spoil and worst, bad pass before. Make government help me, abeg, it’s here we feed our family and pay school fees, from this OPM junction to that Rumuowha roundabout is very bad, very bad, let them help us.”
Another respondent, Mr. Felix Njoku told TNN that everybody is suffering it, passenger too are complaining, because when it rains heavily, like yesterday, we will increase, along N100, Eneka N150. The thing is spoiling our keke, some keke used to spoil inside the water, this road is very bad, every place has big hole, very big hole, they should help poor people like us, please.”
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Further, a community leader in the Eneka clan. Ugochukwu Amadi, popularly known as ‘Jagaban’ blamed the gory state of the road on the alleged negligence of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, and the Rivers State government, wondering why they have refused to come to the aid of the suffering populace, by fixing the road.
While describing the state of the road as dreadful, Amadi added that, “the road is very bad, there is nobody moving along this road that will not complain, businesses are badly affected, homes, properties, especially vehicles and movement of people and goods. The NDDC and state government are doing nothing to salvage the masses from this suffering, so, as it is today, we have put our faith in God, our God can help us.”
