Senate has urged the Federal Government to direct the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to commence repairs and re-construction of affected parts of the Onitsha-Owerri Federal Road.
It urged the ministry to particularly commence repairs on the sections between the Upper Iweka roundabout in Onitsha, in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State that span about 6 kilometers.
Senate resolutions followed the consideration and adoption of a motion at plenary on Tuesday.
The motion, titled “Urgent Need to Control the Erosion Ravaging Onitsha-Oba Section of the Onitsha-Owerri Federal Highway in Anambra State” was sponsored by Sen. Victor Umeh ( LP, Anambra ).
Umeh, while presenting his motion decried the devastating effects of ravaging gully erosion and landslide on Onitsha-Owerri Federal Road, between Electrical Parts Market and Metallurgical Training Institute, Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area and Oba Junction, near Rojenny Games village along Onitsha-Owerri federal highway.
He said one lane of the affected road has been cut off by the gully erosion at the Oba junction with the second lane under serious threat of imminent collapse while buildings and factories within the vicinity are on the verge of collapsing into the gully.
He expressed concern that the erosion and landslide were creating traffic gridlock along the sections of the Onitsha-Owerri highway.
Umeh further expressed concern that if the menace of gully erosion and landslide was not urgently controlled, those sections of the road would completely cave in.
This, he said was leading to total disconnection of the highway with attendant severe consequences and cutting off of vehicular movement to Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Cross River states.
He said the Onitsha-Owerri Federal Highway was a gateway to business activities and other relationships between the Western states and South-East and South-South states, adding that the magnitude of the menace was beyond the control of the state government.
The Senate further in its resolution, urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to ensure regular surveillance of Federal highways to identify and nip in the bud erosion threats to Federal Roads.
It also urged the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to join in the detection and prevention of erosion menace on the highways.
Senate also urged the Federal Ministry of Works, Environment and the Ecological Fund Office to also urgently fix the erosion challenges in Obom in Abia state.
It further urged the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute to evolve workable measures to solve the erosion challenges in the country.
President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, in his remark said the Senate could do a holistic analysis of erosion in the country and bring the report to the attention of relevant authorities to proffer solution.
