Anambra roads under Soludo not substandard — Commissioner

Anambra State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Okey Ezeobi.

The Anambra State Government has dismissed widespread social media claims regarding its road construction portfolio and infrastructure projects, refuting allegations that its road projects have been compromised,

The state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Okey Ezeobi, disclosed this during a press briefing in Awka, the state capital, on Wednesday, clarifying that the state’s roads and infrastructural projects remain fully intact and are progressing across multiple sections.

He urged residents to disregard social media content making the rounds that most roads constructed by Governor Chukwuma Soludo are below standard, describing the claims as “politically motivated.”

The commissioner also revealed that Soludo has constructed no fewer than 908.44 kilometres of roads across the state since he assumed office in 2022, describing the administration’s road construction project as unprecedented in the history of the state.

He pointed out that out of the 908.44km of road constructed, over 744km had been fully asphalted, insisting that the combined road and infrastructural projects undertaken under Soludo’s administration far outweighed those of the three previous governors of the state.

Addressing complaints on social media about the condition of some roads, the commissioner said the affected portions amounted to less than five kilometres out of the asphalted portions.

He said, “I called this press briefing today to let ndi-Anambra and the entire world to know that the social media content circulating online claiming that ‘all the roads constructed by this present administration are bad’, are not true and are politically motivated.

“The social media criticisms of the state’s road projects are politically motivated; the comments and criticisms did not reflect the actual state of our roads and the true situation on the ground.

“The current administration has awarded no fewer than 143 road contracts since taking office. Out of these roads, no fewer than 908 kilometres have been constructed, with over 744 kilometres asphalted. If you cut the portions that failed as a result of the effects of underground water, they are not up to five kilometres. That means that we have over 95 per cent of all the roads constructed by this administration in perfect condition.

“All the roads constructed by this present administration are projected to last for 20 years. Some of the conditions and minor failures we are seeing on our roads at the moment are mainly caused by natural disasters such as excessive underground water during the rainy season.”

The commissioner explained that some roads were in good condition until the recent heavy rainy season, which he said exposed the effects of underground water that was not adequately captured in the initial construction data.

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“Many of the roads were designed and built, and they never became bad until this year’s heavy rainy season. It’s the underground water that is the cause of some road damage, as the data we used did not capture the volume of the underground water.

“Other causes include population pressure, sand miners and heavy-duty vehicles. It is important that we all understand the nature of our land and not politicise the situation. Our contractors are A-listed contractors. Anambra has the best contractors in Nigeria. Anambra earth is full of excessive water. Some of the failures are caused by underground water issues. The situation is not the government’s intention.

“The contractors we hired were part of those former governor Chris Ngige used during his administration as the governor of the state. We took time to select them. Soludo has achieved 95 per cent in road infrastructure in the state, so he should be celebrated wherever his name is being mentioned.

“Our contractors have promised to commence reconstruction works in all the affected portions of the roads starting tomorrow, November 5, and it is at no cost to the state government. The reconstruction is intentional.”

He also blamed the negative attitude of residents for the poor and short lifespan of social infrastructure in the state, including road maintenance.

The commissioner further debunked as “untrue” claims that the state government had abandoned the yet-to-be-commissioned Ekwulobia Flyover over an alleged “integrity test failures,” saying the bridge would be commissioned soon.

He also cited the Amawbia-Ekwulobia dual carriageway as one of the roads facing challenges because of erosion-prone sections and swampy areas where underground water frequently rises.

He said the volume of rainfall recorded this year was unprecedented in the past 50 years, adding that floodwater had seeped underground and affected road infrastructure, including some Federal Government projects.

According to him, the government planned to remove damaged asphalt in affected areas and undertake cement-based stabilisation to prevent further damage from underground water.

He added that the South-East region had benefited from the Federal Government, specifically in areas of road infrastructure and investments.