Suleiman Anyalewechi, Aba
Memories of the glory days of local government administration in Nigeria re-echoed Tuesday Jan 9, 2024 following the commencement of grading and cleaning up of some hitherto neglected link roads within the Aba South Local Council of Abia state.
The project which is one in a series of programmes designed by the Mayor of the Local Council Chief Uche Nwogu to open up rural areas and link up communities, as part of a wider efforts at growing the economy of residents and the council at large was flagged off with the ever important but long neglected Agulanna Road in the Ndiegoro axis of the council.
For the residents, it was one of the most exciting moments of their lives in the last 30 years to behold the first bold attempt by any government to create access road for them.
John Ugbo kalu, one of the residents who volunteered comments, lauded Chief Nwogu for coming to their assistance, after so many years of being cut off from the rest of the communities in the council.
According to him, the road and others adjourning it have been cut off for over 35 years, with successive governments at all levels abandoning them to their fate.
Another resident of the area, Ndukwe Okereke Eleke noted that before now they had resigned to fate after several futile efforts to draw the attention of the authorities to their plights.
“We are grateful to God, the Mayor and our councillor, Hon Christiana for taking our case up and coming to our rescue.
The whole problem began in 1989 and since then we have been making appeals and representations for assistance, but to no avail.
The road is a link road to Ukadike, Abayi Nchokro and Umukama. This is the first time since 1989 that we are witnessing government presence and intervention on the road,” Eleke stated.
Other residents also, while appreciating the road grading and clearing efforts, appealed to the Mayor Nwogu to assist the area in reclaiming the Agulanna Primary School which has since been taken over by flood.
Aba South authorities say the reopening and linking up of communities within the council will form one of the planks of the policy thrust of the present administration in Aba South.