The member representing Ogbaru federal constituency of Anambra State in the House of Representatives, Hon Victor Afam Ogene, has decried poor funding of the Onitsha—Atani-Ossomala-Ndoni federal road and called for increased funding allocation for the project in the 2025 budget.
Hon. Ogene, in a motion he sponsored during the House plenary on Wednesday, lamented that most parts of the work done on the road since 2014, when it was awarded, had been washed away by flood.
He noted that only N80million was provided in the 2024 budget for the road project, and, said that the amount was too little for any impactful work to be done on the road which connects the riverine Ogbaru area of Anambra State to Ndoni, River State.
The chairman House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy emphasised the need to appropriate adequate funds in the 2025 budget to ensure expedition of the construction of the road because according to him the road is critical for socio-economic improvement of many sub-national areas and the country at large.
A copy of the motion obtained by LEADERSHIP Friday was entitled “Need to Appropriate for the construction of the Onitsha-Atani-Ossomala-Ogwuikpele-Ndoni Road Recently Decimated by Flood in the 2025 Budget Estimates”.
He argued that the road is the shortest link between the enterprising South East and the oil rich Rivers State, and, as such has economic value considering the commercial, oil and gas activities on its corridor.
Hon Ogene lamented that due to the poor funding of works on the road, and the consequent lengthy delay in the project execution, heavy flooding has been ravaging the earthworks and reversing the progress already gained, with ditches dotting the stretch of the road and worsening its deplorable condition, thereby severing access to many adjacent communities.
He also said that the road has been impassable due to the dilapidated state, worsened by the recent devastating flood, which has cut off five communities from the rest in his Ogbaru federal constituency.
He further decried that banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery have become thriving crimes along the road because of the dilapidated condition of the road.
He urged the House to prevail, particularly on the Federal Ministry of Works, to allocate adequate funding in the 2025 Appropriation Estimates for the construction of the Onitsha – Atani – Ossomala – Ogwuikpele – Ndoni Road.
And also for the House to mandate its Committee on Appropriations to ensure that adequate funding is allocated in the 2025 Budget Report for the construction of the Onitsha – Atani – Ossomala – Ogwuikpele – Ndoni Road.
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