Residents and commuters in Asaba, the Delta State capital, have decried the poor state of roads in their neighbourhood, especially the federal highway before the Bonsac Junction.
With potholes and craters on the road, commuting on the road has become a nemesis for motorists and commuters on that corridor, on that corridor as well as for those passing through the state capital to the neighbouring southeast states.
When it rains, plying the route becomes a nightmare for commercial drivers, who complain of frequent breakdowns of their vehicles. Commercial bus drivers and private car owners sometimes fall into the potholes on the road. A commercial bus driver, Peter Ijeh, who has been plying the Asaba-Onitsha route for 13 years said the state of the road is constantly damaging his vehicles as he visits the mechanic workshops every week for repairs.
He said, “The terrible state of the road is affecting us, and it is affecting movement on the road.” He pleaded that the government should come to the aid of those plying that route by fixing the bad spots.
A resident in the area, Emmanuel Iyasere, said that a few weeks ago, youths in the area put sand and concrete in the potholes but the rains washed them away, adding that apart from the federal highway, all the streets in the Bonsac area were also in a deplorable state. “Nobody is coming to rent shops in this part of the town again because of bad roads. People are moving out of the area because, whenever it rains, they can’t go back to their homes.” Mr. Hillary Agidi, a resident, lamented that the community had written letters to the government for the repair of the road but there has been no response yet.
