By Our Correspondent
Residents of Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State have appealed to Governor Hope Uzodimma to resume and complete the rehabilitation of the 27-kilometre Ulakwo–Upe-Imerienwe–Umuekwune Road, lamenting that the prolonged abandonment of the project has continued to inflict hardship on thousands of road users.
The appeal was made in an open letter by a community leader, Sir Richard Obi Chioma, who commended the governor for ongoing infrastructure projects across the state but expressed concern over the condition of the road linking several communities in Ngor Okpala to the boundary with Rivers State.
According to him, rehabilitation work on the road was abandoned in 2022 after construction stopped at Umuovum in Ulakwo, Owerri North Local Government Area, leaving a substantial portion of the road uncompleted.
He noted that the situation has deteriorated with the onset of the rainy season, making the road increasingly impassable and subjecting residents of five autonomous communities along the route to severe hardship.
“The rains have brought another season of suffering for our people,” he said, adding that commuters, farmers, traders and other road users now face enormous difficulties accessing their communities.
Chioma, a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in NgorOkpala LGA, questioned why the state government had yet to complete the project despite the strategic importance of the road and reminded the governor that the affected communities overwhelmingly supported his election in both 2019 and 2023.
He expressed fears that the contractor handling the project might not be recalled before the expiration of the governor’s tenure in January 2028, urging the administration to intervene before then.
While expressing disappointment over the delay, the community leader appealed to Governor Uzodimma to reconsider the plight of the affected communities and ensure that work resumes on the remaining section of the road.
He also prayed for God’s guidance and strength for the governor to complete his tenure successfully and leave behind a lasting legacy of development across Imo State.
The Ulakwo–Upe-Imerienwe–Umuekwune Road serves as a major transportation corridor connecting several communities in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area to neighbouring Rivers State and is considered vital to economic and social activities in the area.
