Residents commend The Sun for shining on the city
Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia State, was agog on Sat­urday, August 30, 2014. That day, The Sun shone brightly on the dilapidated city. The residents, who over the years, had been united in grief over the total collapse of infrastructure in the city, had something to cheer. They were elated that their predicament had been exposed to the whole world to see.
They were happy that Saturday Sun pre­sented a dispassionate report on the deplor­able condition of critical infrastructure in the city. As soon as the newspaper hit town, it started selling like hot cake. The newspa­per was a souvenir of sorts. For them, now that their story had been told in words and pictures, there could be a ray of hope that in­tervention may come from the Federal Gov­ernment since the state government had aban­doned them. Indeed, some of them suggested that the Federal Government should declare a state of emergency in Aba to address the situ­ation.
Justus, a resident, said: “Beloved, I com­mend your write-up about Aba. Every as­pect of the city is in utter ruins. Nigerians need to be aware of this. We can’t keep quiet anymore. It’s time for coordinated action for change. Some of us aren’t partisan or have any affiliation with any political party what­soever but we just demand good governance. Abia and, particularly Aba, is in total ruins.”
Chief Okey Nwagbara, All Progressive Congress (APC) vice chairman, Abia Central, described the state of affairs in Aba as awful while commending Saturday Sun for the re­port. Hear him: “First of all, I would like to commend your newspaper for the report that was published on Saturday, although you did not capture half of the situation on ground about Aba. Notwithstanding, that was a very wonderful story. You were only able to give us the pictures of the areas you had access to and nobody will blame you for those areas you did not have access to. It is good that you have shown to the world that the town you know as made in Aba, because it was making people and things, is now waiting to be made. So, I thank you people so much for that report and I’m appealing to other media houses to come to us at this hour of need as The Sun has done because it is those who give us that we will give back when the time comes.”
Nwagbara, who regretted that Abia which used to be God’s own state had become God’s cursed state, said that the city has the worst road network in Africa. He stressed that the way things are going, in the next few weeks, Aba will be closed down as nobody will be able to come in or go out. He further said that the situation of Aba was worse than Ebola be­cause while the virus can be treated, nothing is being done about Aba. According to him, the environmental pollution in Aba calls for concern.
The All Progressives Grand Alliance Party (APGA), Abia State Chairman, Prince Ukae­gbu, remarked: “At times, one wonders how the citizenry manage to survive under such bad conditions. In the past, we’ve had cause to call on the governor to either perform or re­sign because for the past seven and half years, Abia State can literally be called a state with­out a governor and without government. The only aspect of government that we witness borders on reparation, taxation and all forms of unlawful brigandage by government’s tax collectors; that has been our general experi­ence in Aba.”
He went on: “In Abia State, infrastructure has a different meaning and connotation. Here, infrastructure means impassable roads, it means dirt and rubbish along the streets, that’s the meaning of infrastructure in Aba and Abia State because they are non-existent. I have challenged the governor on countless number of occasions and offered to sponsor and arrange a media tour so that the gentle­men of the press can come around and let the governor point out those achievements which he claims on the pages of newspapers, televi­sion and internet. Sometime ago, the gover­nor rather hastily organised his boys in the media who came and gave him kudos, noth­ing is happening in Abia State. I have said these things repeatedly. We are a state without a government.
“I have said this several times, Aba is not in Russia, neither is it in San Francisco. Aba is right here. You came from Lagos, go round Aba and find out if you can see those things the governor and his aides kept posting on the internet, those beautiful buildings and roads you see on the internet and in magazines. I have challenged him and will be happy if the governor will take up my challenge, let me sponsor a media tour of Abia State and afford the governor the opportunity to highlight all his achievements. Nothing is going on in Abia State. The other time, we were hoodwinked into believing that an airport and seaport were  being constructed in Abia State. I had cause to challenge the governor to reproduce the budget estimate and there were no provisions for building an airport or seaport. Few months to the expiration of the tenure of this admin­istration, no work has started anywhere, this is a wuruwuru government. This is a govern­ment steeped in propaganda, spending bil­lions of state resources in laundering its bat­tered image. This is the true state of affairs in Abia State.
Indeed, not a few residents insist that the deplorable story of the city had not been told in full. They maintained that inasmuch as Sat­urday Sun did a marvellous job in throwing light on the state of affairs in the city, there were still some very ugly spots that were not covered. So, against the agitations of the resi­dents, our reporter visited some of the areas in dire need of attention on September 2. But coming into city, the reporter joined other travellers in trekking because of the traffic snarl at the Osisioma end of the Port Harcourt – Enugu expressway. Take this: Aba was liter­ally locked down on September 3 because of a gully after the rail crossing on Aba – Owerri Road. The resultant traffic snarl brought the city to a standstill as it spiralled to other areas.
Diary of decay
Indeed, every part of the city is in a sham­bles. Milverton Avenue, the home of most of the luxury buses that go to various parts of the country, is almost a no-go area because of a very big ‘river’ in the middle of the road. Located in the heart of the city, Miverton Av­enue, which used to be a pride of the city, is now a shadow of itself. When it rains, it be­comes almost impassable. In fact, only Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) navigate through the deep ‘river’ in the middle of the road. Any car or tricycle (keke) that dares to pass through the ‘river’ may not come out in one piece.
But if Milverton Avenue is in a sorry state, Eziukwu Road leading to Cemetry Market simply depicts hell on earth. The road had not only become impassable and abandoned, some of the buildings have been overtaken by flood, forcing the occupants to flee. It was gathered that snakes invade houses in the neighbourhood. “Eziukwu Road has become a no-go area. A part has become home for un­serviceable vehicles and junks. But flood has overtaken another part, making it impossible for people to live there for many years now. The place, as you can see, is abandoned and big snakes usually come out of the bushes,” lamented Mr Ephraim Nwaogwugwo, who lives in the neighbouring Ehi Road, which also is in a sorry state.
Obiora Street leading to the famous Eny­imba Stadium is equally in a very bad condi­tion. While Dan Fodio Road is in a class of its own, it is indescribable, a piteous sight. Tricycles and vehicles that pass there bear the brunt as most of the time they are trapped in the waterlogged crater.
Unity Street is a dead zone. Cut off from the adjoining street, it is a place to see and die. Ajali Street by Abam Street is nauseous, unsightly, an eyesore. Even pigs may not be comfortable living in such environment. Ironically, the residents of the area claim that it is dressed in false robe by the gov­ernment. “What they do is take photographs of good roads elsewhere and present same to the world as Aba. It’s been hell living in this neighbourhood; it’s been hell living in this town because of the state of the roads in particular. People hardly wear shoes in this neighbourhood. How can you do that when the entire place is in a mess, especially dur­ing the rainy season? However, they should remember that what a man sows that shall he reap,” noted a resident who identified himself simply as Tony.
Other major roads in Aba town that need urgent intervention include Market road, Hos­pital Road, Jubilee Road, Okwunuka Road, School Road, Uratta Road and Etche Road among others. In fact, virtually all the roads in the city are begging for attention. The situ­ation is that those who can afford it now go for SUVs. Car wash points are springing up all over the city because no car remains the same after an outing as it would be splashed with mud.
As it is in Ngwa Road, so it in Georges’ Road in terms of moulds of garbage. When the reporter went to the latter, it was near impossible for him to breathe because of the stench coming out of the wastes that litter everywhere. Investigations revealed that gar­bage bins receive some form of attention only when the contents begin to overflow.
Woe betide you if you are visited by fire in Aba. This is because the fire station on George’s Road is in a horrible condition. The vehicles in the station are dilapidated except one. As a matter of fact, the facility looks desolate. But the open space there has turned to a mechanic workshop and car park, even as it is rented to people for ceremonies such as marriage receptions.

Aba worse than Ebola