For residents of Nekede, 
Ihiagwa, the university community and visitors to the Federal 
Polytechnic Nekede and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri 
(FUTO), nothing makes them feel hollow besides the present economic 
hardship, than the deplorable condition of the only access route in the 
community.
 Going in and out of the area has now become an arduous 
task as the all-important road, which was in good condition a few months
 back, has now become almost impassable even for motorists riding in Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs.)
 The road, from Owerri, capital city of Imo State, has been cut into two
 due to the devastating flooding suffered in the area recently, which 
has terribly softened the ground surface, turning the road into a muddy 
mess.
 Any vehicle attempting to pass through the bad portion, especially when the road is still muddy, gets stuck.
 As a result, commuters are left with no choice than to travel a longer 
distance with higher fares from Owerri, through the Port Harcourt Road, 
to their destination. Other means is to engage the services of 
commercial motorcyclists, who navigate the bad portions by riding 
through several private residences and compounds after paying toll fees 
to some youths in the communities.
 According to a community leader 
in Nekede, who is a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, 
Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, Dr. Christian Meziobi, the 
situation of the road has become a nightmare to road users.
 Speaking
 with newsmen, Meziobi urged all relevant authorities to come to their 
aid and rescue the community from being cut off from other parts of the 
state.
 “It is horrible. I spent two hours trying to access my 
ancestral home, in a journey of 10 minutes from Owerri. Look at the way 
the road has become. I know that resources are limited, but I am 
appealing to the governments at all levels to come to our aid.”
 According to a monarch in the area, Eze Maurice Eke, his subjects are in pains moving from one spot to the other.
 Eke said early warning signs of the road’s disintegration were ignored by the state government.
 Speaking recently, the Commissioner for Works, Mrs. Josephine Udorji, 
said the state government has begun the rehabilitation of roads, but 
regretted the volume of rains as impediment to completing all the road 
projects.
 

 
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