By Chinedu Adonu
The Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District, Senator Osita Ngwu, has called on the Federal Government to urgently release funds for the completion of critical road projects in Enugu State, particularly the old Enugu-Onitsha Road and the 9th Mile-Orokam Road.
Speaking during an inspection tour with members of the Enugu State House of Assembly and other regional leaders, Senator Ngwu emphasized the strategic importance of the old Enugu-Onitsha Road, which has remained under reconstruction since it was awarded in 2019. The project is being executed by Arab Contractors, while the 9th Mile-Orokam Road is being handled by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
Ngwu, who serves as the Senate Minority Whip, described the old Enugu-Onitsha Road—stretching from the Anambra border through Oji, Udi, Umulumgbe, Okpatu, Ukehe to Opi Junction—as a vital link between the Southeast and Northern Nigeria.
He disclosed that although the Senate had appropriated funds for the road, the bottleneck remains the delayed release of funds by the Federal Ministry of Finance. “If the government is not prepared to make funds available, then it shouldn’t award road projects in the first place,” he said. “You cannot even talk about economic growth when the roads are bad.”
Ngwu praised former Governor Sullivan Chime for constructing the Enugu-Ugwogo-Opi Road, noting that it remains the most motorable link between the Southeast and the North amid the poor condition of other routes. He also commended Governor Peter Mbah for initiating the dualization of several roads, including the Enugu-Ugwogo-Opi Road.
“The current state of road infrastructure makes our people feel marginalized,” he added. “We are calling on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene and rescue us.”
A community leader, Dr. Hyacinth Ngwu, also decried the deteriorating condition of the old Enugu-Onitsha Road, saying it contributes to rising insecurity as criminals exploit the poor road conditions to attack travelers.
In separate remarks, members of the Enugu State House of Assembly—Hon. Chima Obieze and Hon. Okey Aneke—as well as the Chairman of Aninri Local Government Area, Hon. Nwanjoku, lamented that many federal roads across the state have become death traps. They appealed to the Federal Government to act urgently, warning that even small vehicles can hardly navigate the roads without sustaining damage.
Responding to the concerns, the project’s construction manager, Ahmed Farouk, stated that efforts to secure additional funds from the federal government have so far been unsuccessful.
At the 9th Mile-Orokam Road—spanning seven communities from Ama Breweries at 9th Mile through Ebe, Egede, Amoka, Affa, Umuoka, Ogbede, Opi Nsukka, and on to Makurdi—Senator Ngwu urged CHEC to accelerate the pace of construction. He noted that the dual carriageway is funded through a Preferential Buyer’s Credit loan from the Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM), under a joint Nigeria-China funding agreement.
“For this project, funding is not the issue,” he said. “The Federal Government has fulfilled its part of the bargain. What’s left is for the contractors to complete it without delay to ease transportation challenges.”
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