“Our Orlu Project”, the political pressure group, canvassing and mobilizing support for the senatorial ambition of Comrade Precious Nwadike, as senator of Imo West, under United Progressive Party (UPP) has once more taken Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha to the cleaners, accusing him of insensitivity and heartlessness.
In a release captioned, “Hold Governor Okorocha responsible, for the bloodbath at Umuaka, Njaba bridge”, signed by Mr Philip Izundu of the Media Department, expressed disgust and total disenchantment with the non-challant attitude of Governor Okorocha, who instead of repairing the dangerous spots on Njaba bridge, has remained adamant as if, he takes pleasure in the human carnage through road accidents, that take place there, periodically.
According to the release,the instant case is the accident that claimed over 15 lives on the 28th December, 2018, coming on the heels of the carnage of November 24, 2017, incident that took 22 lives, barely a year ago, which also happened on a Friday. It is the contention of “Our Orlu Project”, that Okorocha’s government has kept deaf ear to this, since he has not shown any sign of seriousness in rebuilding the bridge, and making the road motorable.
The release reads in part, “Report has it that, the unfortunate but avoidable accident happened on Friday December 28, 2018. According to an eye witness account, this, like the previous one claimed over 15 lives while the major road remained blocked till the next day Saturday, December 29,2018.
It is regrettable that our governor has shown no genuine concern beyond cosmetic approaches over the carnage which has become almost a daily occurrence on that spot and other places along Owerri, Orlu road.
When the first accident involving a tanker load of fuel and two fully loaded commercial buses took place, one had expected a government with human face to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the accident and address it. No such measure has been taken to prevent a repeat, since the Governor does not care a hoot about the bloodbath that is fast decimating Imo population. Suffice it to say that the road and the dangerous spot have become more deplorable than ever. We will not be surprised to hear that another accident occurred the same spot. The two previous ones took place on Friday, implying that, there is more deaths than meets the eyes. It lives much to be desired of a governor, that claims Orlu origin.
We, are pained by the hardship our people have been subjected to owing to this level of bereftness of sterling leadership ideas. No doubt Orlu zone, is worse now than when Okorocha’s government met it. Wherein lies the so-called Orlu solidarity and conspiracy, to have an Orlu man or nothing as governor.
Even the blind, will attest to the fact that the Njaba Bridge was constructed without a design and through mere manual labour. Till date, one cannot point at any company that constructed the bridge which has now become a death trap to commuters.
Not even the several warning by the society of Engineers, that the bridge was deliberately built without design and feasibility studies, has attracted the attention of the Governor to go back to the drawing board, and redesign the bridge.
The same ugly scenario applies to the inland bridges recently commissioned tunnels and fly-overs. When the bridge cracked, there was an outcry by many, over the safety of commuters but the government looks the other way, forcing people to now believe it was a deliberate act, to sacrifice the lives of innocent and unsuspecting citizens for rituals. I, therefore wish to use this medium to call on all concern Imolites, to remind Okorocha of the need to do something”, they concluded.
