The residents of Aba, commercial city of Abia State, have lamented the height of neglect the city has passed through because of bad leadership.
Aba, one of Nigeria’s richest cities. Also, famous around West Africa and beyond for its business and manufacturing prowess. Perplexingly, its environment; roads, streets are routinely filth filled, smelling, disgusting and in deplorable conditions which totally contradicts the richness inherent in the city.
Everything in Aba nowadays contradicts what the city ought to be or used to be. It is very ironical that a city so rich and blessed has beggars at every major entrance relentlessly making life difficult for pedestrians and demonstrating a culture very alien to the indigenous people of the land.
Entering into the heart of Aba through Uyo, Port Harcourt, Enugu or Owerri routes, the first impression you get includes, deplorable roads, annoying panhandling at the popular “Bata Junction”, unkempt small business encampments on the streets, dirt, trash and smelly environment with people hustling, eating and smiling in it as though it is normal and a standard way of life.
Aba may be as old as many early West African Civilizations, as its existence dates back to pre-colonial era but this wonderful city of many opportunities nicknamed the “Japan of Africa” has retarded in development and is now arguably Nigeria’s capital of filth, as it is currently decaying and pleading for help.
Reacting to the situation in Aba, Comrade Omeku Udensi Uche, National Secretary of Easy Life Initiative for Rural Youths, said that Abia State does not have a government, stressing that everything that is left are fast decaying. “One of the problems I have with this government is that they equate infrastructure with just roads. We are talking about things that make life easy and make businesses thrive. It includes roads, health sector and even transport system. “Since the government is equating road construction to mean infrastructure, I want to say clearly as a man leaving in Abia State for over 30 years that we have nothing to write home about.
“Majority of the roads are now death traps like what we see on Port Harcourt Road. For the very first time in Aba, it is under the regime of Okezie Ikpeazu that an important road like Ngwa Road has entered a deplorable state that cannot be described. “It’s unfortunate that an Ngwa son cannot at least work on Ngwa Road as a legacy. Our hospitals in general are glorified mortuaries. It’s not even a clinic. “When you get to the General Hospital inside Aba, you’ll see just painted structures with zero Medical facility to meet the standard of a rural clinic. People in Aba spend quite a lot on sanitation for nothing.
“Go to Ifeobara where the government claimed they have built 5.6kilometres underground water channel that will collect water from Ifeobara basin near Ukwu-mango to Aba River, you’ll see how flood has sacked the people over there. This government is not sincere. God is watching them and whatever they do. “Honestly, we don’t have a government in Abia. Everywhere is littered with refuse and smelling because positions for environmental agencies are used for settling those who helped them win election.”
Dr. Coleman Oduputa likened the health situation of people leaving in Aba to be as precarious as standing on a land mine. He added that on no account should humans share the same environment with waste and when such happens, diseases are unavoidable.
“It’s a simple health tip that when humans in some instances breathe in fecal matter. It is unhealthy and deadly, especially for children. It is extremely hard to rate the level of risks to health from such dirty environment in Aba because it will soon become disastrous. “You cannot dismiss the possibility of infections from water, land and air pollution. People eat and drink around such environment. From what I’ve seen so far and if nothing is done and fast as well, infections of all kinds will be the order of the day. “Diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, malaria and typhoid will be more common and severe than ever.
Even people such as truck pushers, who walk barefooted inside such places risk contracting Tetanus as well.” Also, Pastor Chisom Oriaku, a resident of Uratta Road, adjoining Port Harcourt Road, said that the lives of residents are in a serious danger as flood has sacked almost everyone in the area.
“The lives of people leaving along Uratta Road and Port Harcourt Road axis are in a very big risk. We’ve being crying and nobody seems to care about us. Things are getting worse. I believe you passed through that heavy refuse dump that has taken over Port Harcourt Road. “It has been there for over six months and nobody is doing anything about it. It has taken over a several metres of that road.
People there still pay sanitation fee and the state government will collect those levies and yet they cannot breath in their area. “If you come to Eme by Port Harcourt Road, you’ll see another refuse dumpsite in the middle of the same Road. If you get to Onyeocha by Port Harcourt Road, it’s same story.
“Everywhere is stinking and smelling. Before you could travel from Crystal Park to Aba Main Park, you spend over an hour in a journey that shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. They promised and gave a date when this road will be completed, but right now, we don’t know what’s happening.
“The contractor has disappeared and this road has been under what they termed re-construction for the past two years and they’ve done absolutely nothing so far. Everybody’s life is in danger. We are calling on the government to save lives before epidemic spreads like wildfire.”
Speaking further, Oriaku said: “The ooze of the smell is too much. We have parked our vehicles because we are in trouble.
Some boys have resorted to hiring pumping machines to pump out water from the major roads into adjoining streets just to create paths for motorists.
“You’ll pity those boys if you see them. They are just doing this to ensure easy passage on the major road and the government doesn’t care at all.
There’s a drainage system that links Omuma Road and Cemetery Road that was channeled to us here around Uratta Road, which is causing heavy flood here.
“The Uratta road re-construction which was said to be under the ecological fund of the Federal Government came because of flood issues here but those who claimed they are working on the road abandoned the main problem, which is that drainage channeled to nowhere and flood is now making mess of everyone this rainy season.
“They opened that drainage for about two poles and abandoned it again for no reason. There’s no job they are doing at Uratta Road.
They are just joking as people leaving around streets roads like Onyike, Jaja, Ahuronye, Eme, Mathew, Nwaogu, Ibenji and Railway Avenue are now leaving in disaster zone with no one to come to their aide.”
Adding his voice, the Chairman of Civil Liberties Organization, Aba Zone, Prof. Charles Chinekezi, called on the state government to rescue Aba before it is too late. “Aba is the most important city in the South of Nigeria, along with Onitsha.
The level of infrastructural decay presently is embarrassing and worrisome for me. “If you go back to the history of how Aba was established as a city by colonial government, which drew an original master plan, that’s completely identical with that of Calabar municipal city master plan.
“It was drawn by one European Company. People in Calabar continued with that original master plan and today, they have a wonderful city.
But we here ignored ours and everything got disjointed as a result of bad governance. “But of a truth, the present day PDP government in Abia State inherited a lot of anomalies from past people who governed. Maybe, that’s why it has become overwhelming for them to know where to start.
“The government has fallen short of getting Aba corrected or arrested in its speedy spiral into lack of infrastructure, lack of things like roads, water and other things that make a modern city. “If you watch our refuse disposal method, you’ll see that the agency in charge have not been able to control refuse flow in the city. There are few receptacles and collection points.
“Mountainous filths have taken over major streets and visitors who may have one thing or the other to do on tourism will always get bewildered about the kind of human beings who leave here. “Everybody is embarrassed. I’m embarrassed. You’re embarrassed and those in government are most embarrassed. The decay in Aba is heavy and completely unacceptable and I think we can do something about it. “I recognize the efforts of this present government so far but it will also be necessary to state clearly that their efforts are giving us percentage that leaves us yearning for much more mark when it comes to recording success or failure.
“The roads are the major problems we have today. The state government has an ambitious road construction effort which they embarked upon four years ago and it is still ongoing. “But incidentally, we have so many of the important roads that have not been attended to. Some of them were completely knocked down, brushed into pieces and nothing has been done on them.
“Many of them were brushed down and the contractors possibly absconded. But I learnt that the governor had a meeting with the contractors handling state projects in the last four years recently. I learnt ultimatum was also given. “So, I want to think that they’ll follow that up. The only way he can come out of the blame is to ensure that whoever is handling projects here completes it and anyone who fails to do so should come face to face with the law.
“They may have inherited a whole lot of problems, but it is important to note that when a group of educated people take power, they can correct a whole lot within a short while. I know that ability is there in this government but there are some people around the present government to succeed.
“The governor has been returned for the second time but some of those people are still around the corridors of power and the government must fish them out and show them the way out. “In the governor’s original person, he can do better than what we are seeing but when you have some persons whose characters cannot be properly defined working against you in the guise of working for you, there will be problem.”
A resident of Obohia Road in Ndiegoro axis, Mr. Shedrach Ofodile, on his own blamed both government and Aba residents for the city’s rapid decay as he noted that both parties were not helping matters. “When streets are converted into heavy mountainous refuse dumpsites, surroundings of highways gradually metamorphosing into slums in a replica of a war ravaged environment, then two things are involved. “The two things involved here are; environmentally inattentive government who by omission is working in together with a large population of messy minded folk who are heedless to consequences of filthy environment.
“It has become so pathetic that roads that were motorable 10 years ago, now have weeds, Kilimanjaro like emergency refuse dumpsites and artificial marshes with musty smell oozing out with reckless abandon.
“This decay has given criminals and social deviants the opportunity of converting some of these once bubbling areas into their safe haven as most illicit drugs are being sold in those areas that have become absolutely difficult for police to secure. “Neighbourhoods that were once prosperous and dream places for anyone seeking for residence now have rickety houses with a helpless population of people trying to live their lives amongst the decay and crime constantly staring at them.
“Who will save us? As for me, I have totally lost hope in this government even though they’ve been returned for a second term. In a state where payment of workers salaries sounds like kind gesture, then re-construction of roads and setting up good sanitation system is certainly a luxury they can’t afford for the citizenry.”
Likening the situation of Port Harcourt to that of Omuma Road, a retired lecturer and landlord in the area, Chief Hilary Ebo, said that Aba is fast turning into slums than a city it was meant to be. “What baffles me is that the current governor has all it takes to end this mess but I think God is just angry with Abia State and has not favoured us when it comes to leadership.
“If that is not the case, then tell me who could have solved this problem of dirty environment if not the current governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who has seen it all and knows it better than everyone.
“He was once a Deputy General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA). I learnt he has a sound background in health matters because a man who as I learnt holds B.Sc in Clinical Biochemistry, M.Sc Degree in Biochemical Toxicology and Ph.D in Biochemical Pharmacology is knowledgeable enough in health related matters.
“Who else do we need to solve this problem? One may not be far of the truth if he chooses to imply that Abia is running a government certified go ahead order on environmental pollution which the residents are perfectly implementing at their own detriment.
“Take a good look at Omuma Road. If you knew this place before, I’m sure you’ll be shedding tears now. Look at sewage everywhere. “Vehicles that dispose of things like this cannot longer enter here. People have resorted to disposing human waste indiscriminately because there’s absolutely nothing they can do. “As I speak to you now, there’s no single refuse receptacle from Number- 1 Omuma Road to Number-200. We all know why they can’t bring in receptacles here.
The answer is simply no road. It was not so 10 or 12 years ago. “When a government fails to provide social and economic infrastructure like roads, health centres and things as minor as refuse receptacles enough to cover certain areas, then such government may have indirectly certified environmental pollution.”
Speaking further, Ebo said, “In as much as criminality cannot easily be eradicated, the government for the past 10 years now have laid the foundation of the current wave of criminal activities that have become synonymous with this area.
“Tell me how and why criminals will not convert a major road that is deplorable from its beginning to its end into their own? “We have never had it bad as it has been from T A Orji and now Okezie Ikpeazu where Omuma Road is bad from Ama-Ogbonna down to Ama-Pope, never except now.”
Sir Richard Anaekwe said: “The decay in Aba didn’t start with Ikpeazu. In fact, the creation of Abia State is the worst thing that happened to Aba. From 1999-2007, Orji Uzor-Kalu tried, but I’m sure he knows that he could have done better.
From 2007-2015 T. A Orji was a disaster to Aba. “Every motorable road in Aba went bad under him with zero attention and no repair. Under Ikpeazu since 2015, it has been theatre of drama. His method is a tricky one. He left every part of the city littered with projects that he knows very well he will not complete.
All efforts made to reach the the Deputy General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), in charge of Aba Zone, Mr. Rowland Nwakamma on his mobile line: 08033002209 proved abortive as he neither picked calls placed on this mobile line nor replied text sent to that effect for some days now.
