Igbo Delusion 1: How Buhari Destroyed South East Roads

Obinna Akukwe

South East Roads are ostensibly the worst in Nigeria now especially Enugu-Onitha, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Enugu-9th Mile-Nsukka and Owerri-Elele Road all thanks to the activities of Muhammadu Buhari, according to the delusional theory of some ignoramuses parading as igbo politicians and activists.

Enugu-Onitsha Highway used to take 40 minutes, a distance of less than 100 km , as far back as the year 2000. Today, that  journey takes between two and half to three hours on a normal day, and if any truck broke down at the middle of the road, the journey becomes a four hour ordeal. That is the state Igbo leaders left the people of the South East after 16 years of democracy.

Enugu-Port Harcourt Highway, which usually takes less than two hours, is now a four hour journey on a normal day, and if there is heavy downpour, it becomes a six hour experiment, after sixteen years of democratic dividends.

Enugu to Opi Junction through 9th Mile Corner, a journey of 25 minutes has become a 90 minutes ordeal due to the numerous potholes on the road such that travelers now prefer to route their journey through Abakpa axis to avoid premature death.

Owerri to Elele Road is a sorry state especially around Umuagwu until it gets to the border with Rivers State before someone is delivered from the Igbo side of Biafran .

Enugu-Abakaliki Road, built through joint effort of the State Governments of Sullivan Chime and Martins Elechi is one passable Highway in the South East. Onitsha-Owerri Road is still passable today because Chris Ngige rebuilt the Anambra end of the road.

Apat from these, otter major Federal roads had become death traps, uninspiring to travel, reduced economic activities and increased travel related ailments because silly Igbo leaders cannot task the Federal Government to do roads for the benefit of their communities, ather they prefer to collect contracts and acquire chieftaincy titles.

Mr Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, and chieftain of APGA-PDP party, with legendary friendship with Ebele Jonathan, cannot convince his friend to build the Enugu-Onitsha Road, or make budgetary provisions for it,yet some silly things are accusing Buhari of incompetence.

Senator Ike Ekweremmadu, with eight years as Deputy Senate President, occupying South East slot, and very close to Azikiwe Jonathan, cannot even convince his friend to do work on either the Enugu-PH Road, or Enugu-Onitsha Road, neither was any effort made to put it in the budget.

Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, who became Secretary to the Government of the Federation due to the pressures some persons, including myself and some groups I belong to, mounted on the Jonathan regime, after the 2011 elections, to compensate the South East for massive PDP votes,with SGF after the Senate Presidency slot was handed back to David Mark, did nothing to attract any attention to the roads .

Theodore Orji, another friend of Goodluck Jonathan, who ruled Abia State for eight years, could not convince his bosom friend and in-law to reconstruct the Enugu-PH Hghways.

This is the lot Igbo Biafrans had to suffer in the hands of useless politicians, and yet some persons are abusing Buhari for their self inflicted problems. These roads were built under the regimes of Shehu Shagari, from Shagari Village of Sokoto State. These roads were completed under the tenure of Muhammadu BUhari from Daura in Katsina State as Military Junta, and rehabilitated by Sanni Abacha , a Kanuii resident in Kano.

These Roads were built when the Great Zik of Africa as leader of NPP entered into accord with the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and the Great Zik, with the cooperation of Vice President Alex Ekwwueme , ensured that these roads were built and finished from the scratch.

Silly politicians, activists, sycophants, bootlickers and all manners of Asmodeus who have occultically claimed Igbo leaderships, have not been able to pressurize either Obasanjo or Jonathan to rebuilt the roads built by Hausa men.

Laying the blame of these roads on Muhammadu Buhar,  fashionable to some ethnic activists and their political cheer leaders is very delusional and hypocritical. Igbos should hold these silly politicians, opinion leaders, activists, technocrats and all the scums who have beclouded our political space.responsible for the state of our rods after sixteen years of fruitless democracy.

(Obinna Akukwe is the Director General, Igbo Mandate Congress (IMC))

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