Umahi decries dilapidated federal roads in Anambra, other South-East states… 

The Minister of Works, Chief David Umahi, has decried the poor state of federal roads in the South-East geo-political zone, especially in Anambra and Ebonyi states.

Umahi made his feelings known during a courtesy call on the Anambra Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, on Saturday night in Awka.

The Minister said Anambra and Ebonyi were competing for the worst in terms of poor federal road projects in the country.

He said that he had recently visited Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states before coming to Anambra, saying that the situation is the same on the state of federal roads.

Umahi, who before meeting Soludo had inspected Enugu-bound lane of the Onitsha/Enugu expressway, passed a vote of no confidence on the consultants supervising the reconstruction of the road.

He regretted that the handlers of the very busy road were exposing road users to untold hardship.

He directed the firm to immediately rehabilitate the bad spots, which have caused vehicles to fall and other sundry hiccups on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway.

The Minister said he was personally concerned due to a series of calls and complaints coming from the same road.

Responding, Gov. Soludo said he was overwhelmed when President Tinubu appointed Umahi his minister of works.

“Umahi’s appointment is a prayer answered for me because it is like a perfect round peg in a round hole,” he said.

He regretted that the entire federal roads in Anambra were all bad, adding that urgent actions were needed to reduce the sufferings facing road users on the roads.

Soludo who appealed to the minister to replicate what he did on road construction in Ebonyi across the country, advocated for what he tagged mega-budget for road projects.