18th July 2023
Abuja- Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District, Dr Tony Nwoye has sought the intervention of the Federal Government to urgently reconstruct and rehabilitate the dilapidated Onitsha-33-Otuocha-Adani Road bordering Enugu State.
Dr Nwoye said that road which is 48 km stretch is a Federal government designated infrastructure. The Senator added that the Trunk A road is major economic link in the Onitsha and Omambala region of Anambra and Kogi States and traverses the GRA, Onitsha, 33- Otuocha-Adani-Enugu State and Kogi State.
The Senator decried that the dilapidated state of the road has led to the loss of so many lives and properties. Even Farmers find it difficult to get their produce to the market.
Senator Dr Nwoye made the call on Tuesday during plenary presided over by the President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio.
Narrating the ordeals of road users, Nwoye told his colleagues that the road plays an important role as it connects many agrarian communities. Senator Dr Nwoye emphasised that the road is a major food basket of the Southeast region.
Describing the road as a national critical national project, Senator Nwoye cautioned that if allowed to dilapidated, may lead to food scarcity, bring untold hardship, neglect and exacerbate the sufferings and pain on the people and the attendant loss of revenue that would have accrued to the government.
He said; “the road needs repair due to the presence of critical infrastructure like the cooking gas extractive industry/refinery at Ponti Nkponando, Aguleri, many industries located along that Anambra, Enugu and Kogi States corridor and many other businesses, which contribute huge sums of needed revenue for the nation
He said, “this road will be segmented into two sections, the first section is dualization from GRA Onitsha to Aguleri/Otuocha junction (about 10km); and the second section will remain a single carriage way from Otuocha/Aguleri junction to Adani, Enugu and Kogi States
Senator Nwoye also lamented that despite the fact that the project is under the Federal Ministry of Works & Housing, it has till date not been awarded due to paucity of funds, hence the need for placement of funding to be financed through the NNPCL Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, under which it is the financier.
Lending his support to the motion, Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh called for urgent intervention stating that the road if reconstructed will reduce travel time and improve economic livelihood.
He said ; if the road is reconstructed Anambra can be accessed directly to Kogi in two hours instead of going through Enugu.
Acceding to the prayers of Nwoye’s motion the Senate asked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service under the Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme to include the road as a project to be prioritized, funded; and to be executed through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
The Senate also urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to urgently commence design for the road, while also urging the Committees on Petroleum Resources Upstream and Works (when constituted) and Legislative Compliance to ensure implementation.
(C) Dr Tony Nwoye Media.
