Poor Access Roads Fuelling Out-of-School Children In A/bom, Residents Lament

Rural residents of Ikot Okpok, Edemaya clan in Ikot Abasi local government area of Akwa Ibom State have said dilapidated road abandoned by the major contractor, HENSEK Integrated Services (HIS) preventing pupils from accessing their schools.

LEADERSHIP Friday gathered the road which criss crosses some communities plays host to some of the schools, was awarded during the immediate past administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel.

The road, which stretches from Atan Ikpe through Ikot Efre, Ikot Okpok, Ikot Alkpabio, Atan Ekaiko and Ikot Etenge Ndon, te residents lamented had brought untold  hardship to them.

“Sometimes  pupils are forced to stay away from school and heightening the number of out-of-school children, and restricting the movement of people from social functions – church services, farms and other functions, especially on rainy days,” Bassey Ukpong, a retired school teacher in Onna LGA, said.

It was gathered that the former governor, Emmanuel, desirous of creating jobs for local residents of his LGA, had awarded the contract to Hensek Integrated Services Limited,an indigenous construction firm in the state in 2019, during his second term campaign, allegedly as a political gimmick to win the hearts of communities for his re-election.

However, it was learnt the administration’s failure to release funds for the project  after securing his second term ambition heightened ethnic hatred among the community members until the incumbent Governor Umo Eno,  ordered release of funds, sparking jubilation across the affected communities.

However their jubilations  became short-lived as community sources told our correspondent that the contractors allegedly recruited youths from within the communities to dig the gutters manually, after  subletting the contract to about 12 political cronies who had no previous experience in the construction industry,  leading to shoddy construction which has left the communities in more pains.

Checks revealed that large patches of earth excavations haphazardly dumped on the road during the process of opening up the gutters by the recruited youths have continued to pose serious problems to motorists and pedestrians, especially during rainy days, thereby rendering the road impassable.

Speaking in an interview, the village head of Ikot Okpok village in Edemaya clan, Chief Iko-Abasi Alfred Ekiko, lamented the poor construction of the road, adding that it has caused unbearable hardships to students, teachers, youths and women from the affected communities.

“Our people are suffering a lot because of the poor construction of the road, they cannot go out in the day time or in the night, especially when it rains. Students attending primary school and secondary school have suffered a lot. Sometimes they stay away from school.

“Their sandals always get cut, even to go to church on Sunday is difficult,if the rain falls. In fact,even market days, you cannot go out if it’s raining, everywhere will be shut because there’s no way to go out. I don’t know how I will explain it,we are suffering a lot” the monarch noted, and called on Governor Eno, to intervene by giving the contractor a marching order to return to site.

“We want our compassionate governor to know that the contractor is not serious about the contract, the governor should help us and talk to the contractor,” he stated.

A community leader, Elder Ntudo Udoessien, who also spoke with journalists, described the condition of the road as terrible, adding that “even motorists fear to ply the road for fear of their vehicles breaking down.”

“The condition of the road is terrible, our people are suffering a lot. Motorists don’t ply the road for fear of their vehicles getting stuck or breaking down. Social life is poor, you cannot attend any functions especially when it’s raining. That is why we are calling on our governor who is compassionate about things of this nature to come to our aid,” he said.

Responding , the commissioner for Works, Prof. Eno Ibanga, said he would direct the project engineer to give him feedback to ascertain the true situation of the road.

“The road has been awarded to Hensek Integrated Services Limited and I know that work has started on that road,he may have his own reason about the road. However, I will direct the project engineer to give me information about the road technically”, he assured.