The Senate Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the rehabilitation of the 9th Mile to 82 Division Expressway, particularly the Ugwuonyeama section in Enugu State.
The lawmaker’s appeal came on the heels of a horrific incident, which occurred Saturday, January 25, on the road, leading to loss of lives and properties.
LEADERSHIP reports that around 11am on Saturday, a PMS-laden truck reportedly collided with some vehicles and erupted in flames, leading to 11 casualties and many others injured.
According to reports, the road project is being funded through the MTN tax credit scheme and has been under rehabilitation for over 15 years, claiming hundreds of lives. The contractor, RCC, has been working on the project, but their efforts have been allegedly hindered by underfunding and delayed payments.
But, Senator Ngwu, who represents Enugu West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, in a statement on Saturday, urged the federal government to urgently direct relevant authorities to complete the rehabilitation of the road to forestall further occurrences.
The Senator stated that there was an urgent need for the federal government to resolve whatever issues they were having with MTN to enable the contractor to commence immediate rehabilitation of the second lane of the expressway.
Noting that Enugu State government’s laudable efforts to improve the state’s infrastructure, including federal roads, he lamented that the 9th Mile to 82 Division Expressway is a critical transportation route that connects the state to other parts of the country, hence need for urgent action by the Federal Government.
He also called on the government to deploy First Responders to all major highways to help stabilise victims of road accidents before handing them over to the nearest healthcare institutions for further attention.
The federal lawmaker extended his heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and Enugu State government, praying to God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.
He said, “I appeal to the Federal Government to take immediate action to address the deplorable state of the expressway. The lives of our citizens are at risk, and it is our responsibility to act. Over the years, there has been one form of fatal crash or another being recorded on this highway with their attendant deaths.
“The reconstruction of one of the dual carriages has been completed, however, on the other side of the lane is yet to be done. As a result, both motorists heading either Onitsha to Awka and Enugu or vice versa are compelled to ply the completed lane, a development that has resulted in increased head-on crashes along that stretch.
“In retrospect, in June 2024, several people were killed in a crash involving 29 travellers. FRSC said no fewer than four persons lost their lives in the ghastly auto accident on the Ugwu Onyeama axis of the Enugu-Onitsha highway. Again on July 11, 2023, six were killed, 10 injured. The accident, which involved a petroleum tanker and a truck with a heavy load, resulted in many casualties.”
“We can’t continue to let this happen. The Federal Government needs to take urgent action to address the deplorable condition of the road and prevent further loss of lives,” Senator Ngwu added.
