Ring Road: Ebonyi moves to rehabilitate affected persons, remove hurdles

Following the conclusion of arrangement for the commencement of the 198km Abakaliki ring road, the Ebonyi State Government has approved moves to rehabilitate all project affected persons across the seven local government areas, which the road will crisscross.
The development formed part of the decisions in the State Executive Council meeting held on Monday at the Government House, Abakaliki.
Jointly briefing newsmen at the end of the meeting, selected Council members explained that the government, through the appropriate agencies, was to embark on relocation of Electricity Poles, Street Light Poles as well as Markets, which may likely constitute inhibitions to free execution of the important road project.
According to the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Umahi on Investment, Chioma Nweze, who summed the briefing, the result of the Environmental Impact Assessment conducted on the road in July revealed that over 207 persons would be affected with about 1,055 trees to be felled.
Nweze intimated that Governor David Umahi has directed all the affected Council Chairmen to provide lands to accommodate such markets that would be relocated, while the Ministry of power should ensure that the electricity poles are safely relocated.
The Ministry of the Environment was also directed to plant three new trees at safe distances for each of the trees to be felled along the road so as not to destabilize the ecosystem.
Nweze explained further: “There are people that have shops on the corridor of the road we are building, and there are people that would be affected by the road.
“The State Government is embarking on rehabilitating those people that have market on the road and also relocating the streetlights….”
Earlier, the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr. Ogbonnaya Obasi, had told newsmen that the State Government has commenced concrete pavement for the dualization of Abakaliki-Afikpo Road starting from Amasiri Junction to Amuro Roundabout in Afikpo metropolis.
Contract has also been awarded for the 9.8km Nwakpu-Obubra Road, while work has commenced on Ebunwana-Ekoli Road in Afikpo South Local Government Area.
The Council members described as cheering the news that work was set to commence on the ring road after scalling through the long hurdles that emanated from both procedures and opposition’s antagonism.
Other members of the State Executive Council who joined in the briefing were the Commissioner for Local government, Chieftaincy Matters and Rural Development, Samuel Okoronkwo; and his Environment counterpart, Chief Emmanuel Uguru.
The seven local government areas, which the ring road cut across are Abakaliki, Ikwo, Ebonyi, Ohaukwu, Ezza South, Ezza North and Izzi.