…Govt reacts
An ongoing drainage channel being constructed by the Anambra State Government located on Niger Street in Fegge, Onitsha, collapsed as a result of heavy rainfall on Thursday night.
A video of the collapsed drainage circulating on social media and showing the channel, with a resident in the area commenting, described the ongoing construction work as substandard.
The individual in the video said, “Look at the kind of road that Governor Chukwuma Soludo is building for us, just one rainfall in Onitsha, and the road has been washed off, while the drainage has collapsed.
“Soludo has been saying he will turn Anambra into Dubai Taiwan. Is this how he will turn Anambra into Dubai Taiwan? Just see the road, it is just red earth, no cement at all.”
When our correspondent visited the site on Friday, there were mixed reactions. While some made derogatory remarks, others defended the governor on the project, insisting that the rains came down unannounced, on the same date that the work was done.
One of the respondents who identified herself as Nkem Nwanolue said, “The contractor is still on the site, and no one has declared the project completed. The concrete cast takes a minimum of seven days to cure and about 21 days to fully stabilise.
“That very gutter on Niger Street had neither cured nor stabilised before the rains of that very day, and anyone who knows Onitsha knows the volume of flood that greets every rainfall. The contractor, even from that very video recording, is still very much on site.
“Dubai, as it is today, as it is today did not happen in 13 months (Soludo has spent 13 months in office) and certainly not with the kind of bitter soul that made that video. Soludo is very much on course and will never be distracted by the tantrums of politically bitter people.”
Another resident, Mr. Godwin Okeke, insisted the project had been shoddily handled while blaming the development on “poor supervision” on the part of government officials, a team of engineers, and contractors handling the project.
“What happened showed that the materials used are substandard. If they have applied enough cement during the casting of the drainage, it would not have washed off,” Okeke added.
It was gathered that the state Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ifeanyi Okeoma, has visited the area and inspected the level of damage done.
An appointee of the state government, Mr. Chidiebele Obika, confirmed this to journalists on Friday.
He said, “Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ifeanyi Okeoma, a team of engineers from the ministry were here at Niger Street, Fegge Onitsha, to inspect the level of work on the stretch and witness the effects of Thursday’s downpour on the road.
“Contrary to the amateur clip that went viral earlier today, nothing much happened I can confirm that the construction company handling the project is on-site working on the stretch.”
