Erosion sacks Arthur Eze’s community

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that Oye-Ukpo-Oranto road linking Police zone 13 in Dunukofia local government area of Anambra be awarded to cushion the effect of erosion in the area.

The 2.1-kilometre road, which will gulp about N2.2 billion, was facilitated by Hon Tony Nwoye in honour of billionaire oil magnate, Prince Arthur Eze.

The Chief Engineer, Federal Ministry of Works in Anambra State, Chidi Ezeala, said the length of road is taking such amount of money because the erosion problem was considered in the design

Inspecting the road and gully site on Sunday, Nwoye, who represented Anambra East and West Federal Constituency during the last dispensation, said the project was captured in the 2020 federal budget.

He lamented the erosion problem that had sacked many homes in the area, adding the road would link up with the newly created Police zone -13 and the Onitsha -Enugu expressway.

According to Nwoye: “This is a very big project that President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government wants to execute for the good people of Anambra State especially Ukpo community and other communities around Ukpo.

“As you can see, some of the people who are living here have left their homes because of erosion.

“This was a road that was designed through the instrumentality of the Federal Ministry of Works, Abuja especially the Anambra State office of the ministry.

“Ukpo community will hold accountable, the contractor if work fails to commence within the Christmas period. There will be value for money.

“My humble self who facilitated the design of this road and its capturing in the budget of the federal government, Prince Arthur Eze who used his political weight also and the Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, who vowed that this road must be done, will make sure that there be value for money.

“The BPP has issued a certificate of no objection on October 23 to the Federal Ministry of Works. So, as at yesterday, the ministry was set to go to the federal executive council because the road is more than the approval limit of the ministry. It’s more than N2 billion. That means the road will go to FEC.

“Hopefully, in the 2021 budget that will be passed in December some money would be made available so that funding will not be a hiccup for the contractor.

Asked why he chose roads in Dunukofia instead of his area, he said: “This is not the first time I am doing a road outside my federal constituency. I have done two roads in Ukpo in the past. I have done another road at Ezi Icheke in Ukpo before.

“I have done a road that linked Ukpo and Abagana communities. That was barely three years ago. So, I have done a total of three roads in Ukpo. I have done a road in Onitsha. That was three years ago.

“While I have special interest in Ukpo is because of Prince Arthur Eze who happens to be my boss. He did a lot for me, for my followers and for humanity.

“So, as I am doing in my federal constituency which I once represented, I am also doing here. By next year, I will do roads across every part of Anambra.” (The Nation)