Reckless truck drivers and sand excavators put life at risk for Umuezeawara villagers in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, Senior Correspondent, OKEY MADUFORO, reports.
Umuezeawara Village in Ihiala, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, cuts the image of a typical Nigerian community, bearing the brunt of infrastructure decay. A major sign of neglect that, perhaps, strikes a first-time visitor to the village is the deplorable state of its major road.
The road, which ordinarily should have provided Umuezeawara with ease of life, has, incidentally, become its nemesis, in a way. This is no thanks to the regularity of accidents occurring on the road, with attendant loss of lives. Conservative estimates from the indigenes indicate that more than 45 persons must have perished in several mishaps on the road. Curiously, the accidents are attributed to the recklessness of tipper drivers that ply the road to the sand excavation sites at the Atamiri River in the community.
The road, which was first constructed by the President Shehu Shagari administration in 1980, stretches from Okija junction passing through Ihiala to Egbema in Imo State towards Rivers State.
The road, at some point, later, was in bad state which led to reconstruction of some parts. But no sooner had the reconstruction work been completed than the road developed potholes on account of pressure on it by the estimated 120 heavy duty trucks that ply it daily.
At the Afor Igwe Umudara Village Market on the Road, affected traders lamented the hardship they encounter passing through it every market day.
Forty-four-year-old Louis Okani from Umuezeawara, told TheNiche: “Before these tipper drivers started using the road, we had no problems. We had enough space to do our trading. Suddenly, the road began to develop potholes that, over time, got widened to the extent of encroaching into the market.
“I lost my seven-year-old son, Chukwuebuka, to accident that occurred on the road few months ago. He was returning home from the school when one of the tippers hit him and he died on the spot.
“The worst is that the driver ran away with his vehicle. All efforts to find out the particular driver that killed my son proved abortive because they ply the road in their hundreds on daily basis.”
Similar traumatic experience was expressed by a 28-year-old woman whose husband got knocked down by another truck on his way to a village meeting.
“When this one killed my husband and noticed that the village youths were trailing him, he drove straight to the police station and reported himself. At the end of everything, they only assisted us with the sum of N200,000 for the burial of my husband. Even when we thought that they would as a result of the incident minimise their recklessness, the situation has rather worsened, as more people have been killed by the drivers subsequently,” the widow said.
Former Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju of Anambra State, Oddy Chukwube, who hails from the area, told our reporter that the situation is worrisome.
“I feel troubled about what my village is going through. In fact, we lack words to express the havoc being caused by these truck drivers on our people. We have made sustained representations to the National Assembly through our representative, Forth Dike. The community leaders are meeting, and after that we shall also speak with the state government before taking the next line of action,” he said.
The traditional head of Umuezeawara, Ogbuehi James Chukwudolue, also spoke on the menace.
“The tipper drivers start as early as 4am every day, and the way they drive around our village is a threat to lives and even people’s buildings. They do not respect traffic rules. Even when other road-users complain, they are sometimes beaten up. Since 1964 that I became the traditional head of this village, I have never witnessed this number of deaths as in recent times,” he lamented.
Chairman of Umuezeawara Village, Donatus Iberi, accused some powerful figures of being behind the antics of the drivers.
“The behaviour of these tipper drivers shows that there are some people behind them. We know that this is business for some people, but it should not be the detriment of our lives and the major road that passes through our village. You need to come here when it rains. You cannot even move around. Several vehicles have got stuck on those deep and wide potholes which can even pass for a gully. Sometimes people pass through bush paths to reach their destinations,” he said.
Veteran journalist, Pa Hyacinth Nwabineli, also bemoaned the situation. He said: “We are really suffering so much. Look at the road in front of my house. It is always like River Niger. We will always place logs for people to walk across. I can tell you that many school children and farmers have been killed by these tipper drivers. The number is between 40 to 50 persons that have died so far. We appeal to government to come to our aid.”
When this reporter visited the office of the Commissioner for Environment, Evaristus Ubah, he was said to have been away on official assignment. But a staff in the office of the Public Relations Officer (PRO), who asked not to be mentioned, confirmed that there was a petition brought before the ministry, adding that in due course government would look into the matter.
Aside the menace of tipper drivers and the condition of the road, sand excavation from the Atamiri River has also placed vegetation around the river at grave risk, the villagers and experts lament.
Hydro geologist, Emmanuel Nwabineli, made explanations on the issue.
“As a professional and an environmentalist, I can tell you that our environment is under threat. I know the size of the river in the past, but the level of degradation occasioned by the excavation of sand is a potential danger that would soon come. I have sent petitions to the Federal Ministry of Environment and the state government on the matter. You know that before one begins to excavate sand at any point, you must carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). But this was not done,” he told TheNiche.
