For road travellers from Bayelsa, Rivers States into Imo State, Umuakpu road serves as their entry into the other parts of the state and this is not the best of times to ply the route.
Daily, the road receives hundreds of vehicles especially heavy duty trucks laden with goods including inflamables like premium motor spirit popularly called fuel, diesel, and cooking gas heading into the southeast states.
Though Imo people are known for their academic prowess yet on the other hand, lots of them own businesses which they try to ensure has some presence in the state. Hence, it is no surprise to see loads of vehicles conveying people and goods into the state daily.
However, the current state of Umuakpu around Bethel Golf course and beyond calls for huge concerns, especially to avoid human casualties due to the slippery state of the road, thereby putting the lives of Umuakpu community and travellers in huge danger.
It is common to see vehicles especially heavy laden trucks somersault due to the slippery nature of the road which can even beat the prowess of any expert driver.
True, there is current road construction ongoing from one end of the long road but truth is except something immediate is quickly done on the already terrible road, Imo State may just be marking time for a road emergency and condolence rituals.
The years of accumulated clay soil dumped on the Umuakpu road as quick intervention has left the road in a terrible state of emergency, thereby exposing road users to untold heart thrumblings and fear of accidents.
The way travellers seat by the edge in different vehicles, praying for safe passage is worrisome while the trauma of pregnant women while in transit is not one to wish on an enemy.
Safe for the presence of armed army operatives, it may have degenerated to a bad spot for dispossessing the travellers of their hard earned resources.
There is an urgent need to address the current state of the road before it throws the state in avoidable agony and with permanent lasting solutions not the clay soil that probably does more harm than good.
It isn’t until a school bus filled with returning students somersaults and leaves parents, or even spouses and communities mourning that work will be done.
The fall of a heavily loaded tanker with fuel, diesel, and or gas amounts to nothing just crises waiting to happen..
The Imo State government must immediately address the state of the Umuakpu road because simply put, it is crisis waiting to happen.
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