Death Trap: ZLP, CSOs, Give FG 21-day Ultimatum to Fix Eleme-Onne Road

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Following the series of fatal accidents that have occurred in the Eleme-Onne section of the East-West Road in Rivers State, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has given the federal government 21-day ultimatum to fix the deplorable road or witness a massive protest along with civil society organisations (CSOs).

In a statement signed by the governorship candidate of ZLP in the state, Mr. Leyii Kwanee, the party decried the spate of deaths recorded in the section of the road in the past weeks.

Last Friday, four persons died in a fatal accident that occurred on the Aleto Eleme Bridge on same East/West Road, in the state.

It was gathered that a 40-feet trailer lost it balance on the dilapidated bridge pushing a moving Toyota Sienna van and Toyota Hilux off the bridge into the Aleto river.

Also, it was learned that the incident happened barely one week after a tanker fell on a commercial bus between new town Junction and Onne trailer park axis of the same East-West Road, where eight people were later confirmed dead in the accident.

However, Kwanee, has expressed the concern that leaders who swore to protect the lives and property of Nigerians would keep quiet while lives are lost on the road on a daily basis.

According to him, “The spate of deaths from gruesome road accidents that were recorded on the Eleme junction to Trailer Park stretch of the East-West Road last week is of grave concern to the Kwanee Leyii 2023 Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation.

“We have also noted the depth of grief expressed by the Rivers people and other well-meaning Nigerians over the avoidable destruction of lives resulting from trailers falling on a bus and crushing to death or knocking off another on the Akpajo Bridge and plunging the passengers to their untimely death.

“There is no doubt that these deaths could have been averted but for the very terrible state of the aforementioned sections of that road.

“As a candidate for the 2023 general elections on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party, I am concerned that we have leaders and governments in place which swore to protect and defend the Nigerian Constitution yet go to bed every night whilst the lives and property that Constitution has given them an assignment to protect are destroyed out of negligence and total lack of empathy for the welfare of Rivers people and fellow Nigerians.

“For the avoidance of doubt, let us re-emphasise that no government worthy of its name would abandon a road that contains hundreds of multimillion dollar foreign and local investments. This is unacceptable by every civilized standard, and we condemn it in no uncertain terms.”

He, therefore, called “on the authorities of the Federal and Rivers State Governments, particularly the Federal Ministry of Works, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and their state counterpart to quickly intervene and mobilise contractors to restore that section of the East-West road for safe passage.”