May-rose Road in Amawbia, said to have been in use since the pre-colonial era, links Nise and other communities in the state, but it has neither been maintained nor rebuilt over the years.
Consequently, motorists face all sorts of challenges on the road. Pedestrians, too, especially women carrying farm produce or articles of trade sometimes fall and fracture their legs.
The poor state of the road adds to the unflattering profile of the state through successive administrations.
In his time, Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju did his best with meager federal allocations, but the only thing that collapsed his administration was the salaries owed to teachers and workers in the state, which led to the closure of schools for over one year.
Despite these challenges, Mbadinuju deployed the meager resources at his disposal to open up some of the areas.
Dr. Chris Ngige, who succeeded him brought what the people of the state regarded as liberation from the clutches of godfathers, when he fought them to a standstill to pave way for development. Many more communities opened up through new roads, schools and health centres, among others.
Governor Peter Obi, who came after Ngige, continued to build on what his predecessor left.
Today, Chief Obiano, who vowed to surpass what his predecessors did, is on the road to doing so. His one year in office has brought some changes in the capital city Awka, and tourism and leisure have returned to the city.
But residents would have the hard-working governor go round capital territory to see the imperatives of prioritising infrastructure, some of which are access roads in Awka.
This, according to the residents, will ease the traffic gridlock in the capital city.
May-rose Road, for instance, has been abandoned for decades.
If nothing is done by the government of Chief Obiano, there is the likelihood that some of the established schools, hotels and other facilities will be adversely affected.
Some of these facilities along the 2.5km road include Kabe Primary School, Kabe Secondary School which boasts over 4,000-strong student population, Amawbia High School and May-roses Hotels, among others.
They said the road has a long history, where the people of Enugwu-Agidi in Njikoka, Achalla in Awka North Local Government Area, among others, link Nibo in Awka South Local Government Area, Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area and Mbaukwu in Awka South Local Government Area.
The only means of transportation in the area is through motorcycle operators otherwise known as okada, while some of the residents who have cars park their vehicles outside their domains.
Speaking with The Nation on the abandoned road, one of the community leaders, Chief Ifeanyichukwu Nwokoye, who is the Ide–Amawbia, said the only thing that will make the people happy is when the state government comes to the aid of members of the community.
He said for the past 200 years, the road, which was once a path way in the olden days has become so important that no government could abandon it.
Nwokoye further said that the community had, before now, taken their case to the state government for it to fix the road, but all to no avail, as the past government of Obi reneged on its promise.
The community leader said: “Everybody here is sad; we are in pains because the children who are attending these schools are suffering; the women who walk through this road suffer pains.
“Obiano is trying his best, but his best will just be enough if he comes to inspect this road and just award it to reduce the pains of the people. This road is very important to the people of Amawbia.”
For another community leader, Edward Dije, an engineer, the road has become a nightmare to the people and the people are only waiting for a day to say “thank God.”
Also, Kabe Onyeogu, an engineer and Okwy Erike, a lawyer, told The Nation that some of the children and women have fractured their legs because of the quantum of dilapidation.
When The Nation visited the community some days ago, the only area that is good for vehicles to ply was the beginning of the Onitsha–Enugu end of the abandoned road.
Apart from this road, there are other important link roads that require the attention of the state government, including the road at the back of the Governor’s Lodge at Amawbia that also links Nibo community and other communities.
The proprietor of May-roses Hotel, who pleaded for anonymity because he didn’t want his name in print, expressed hope that both the state and local governments should appreciate the contributions of the proprietors of hospitality industry and accord top priority to tarring of the road.
When The Nation visited the hotel, it discovered that it boasts a 24-hour power supply, hydraulic lifter, technological power water borehole and other enthralling facilities similar to what obtains in civilised climes.
The sad story of dilapidated link roads was evident in other hotels at Nibo, Nise, Okpuno, Amansea and Mbaukwu, all in Awka South Local Government Area.
The proprietor of the hotel, The Nation gathered, was former governorship candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the state and who is state coordinator of Muhammadu Buhari campaign organisation in 2007 presidential elections on the platform of All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) in Anambra State.
