Roads fall apart-I
don't know if this expression is correct. Maybe I should have said “things fall
apart” but it wouldn't capture the true state of things around
here. Moreover, I'm sure if you first see “things fall apart” you will
probably start thinking of Chinua Achebe's novel and might take some time
getting back your line of thoughts to the issue on ground and I wouldn't like
to risk that. The state of roads and traffic situation in Aba is big enough to
occupy anyone's mind; adding anything extra might be mind blowing.
The governor for now operates from Aba. Whatever
his reasons are, I respect that, at least this ensures that he has a first hand
experience of what the roads and traffic situation are. Let me paint a picture
of the traffic situation in the City. The traffic starts from 6:45am and
continues till afternoon and sometimes till very late in the especially on the
Aba-Owerri Road,which is about the only route motorable in Aba and also the
only one that leads outside the city. It is also this road that the governor
plies on his way to work . The traffic situation is not as a result of increase
in vehicular number. Actually, the major road users are Keke and bus drivers
because people going to work don't deem it necessary going to the work with their
cars these days while the rest of the wise ones simply elongate the lifespan of
their cars by parking it at home. Exposing your car to Aba roads is dangerous
to the health of the car and the health of the driver. Common sense. Most Aba
car owners have learnt to apply that in their lives. The potholes are so bad
that car repair shops are the most visited places in the city. The pothole can
even damage a woman's womb- jokes apart.
In view of this, we can
conclude that my governor is a victim of the terrible traffic situation we
experience in Aba. The much that can happen to ease the situation for him is
that his security details will come down from their cars and force other road
users to one side of the already jammed road to create a temporary thoroughfare
for his entourage to pass. This also takes a lot of time because the traffic
usually stretches over a very long distance.
In all, he sees and
experiences firsthand what people are passing through in the city and yet not
much is being done to alleviate the situation. When we heard our governor
commissioned some roads on his first day at work, it gave me serious concern.
Whatever that was meant to achieve, it painted a picture of a man who is
concerned with the most pressing need of his people. What happened to that man
and that heart when after three months, except cleaning the gutters in Aba-Owerri road and some parts of brass road and dumping the dirt by the
roadside for the people to see that the governor is cleaning the gutters and
the recent widening of the gutters in some parts of Aba-Owerri road, nothing
more has been done. Moreover, clearing the gutters is not enough. They will
soon close up if appropriate measures are not taken to sensitize people on the
need to properly dispose wastes. The touts
used to harass bus drivers can also be used to catch defaulters. When can we
finally have a government that sincerely thinks about the people?
When you were taking up
leadership Sir, you knew Aba roads are the Aba man's nightmare. Fixing them is
fixing his business and every of his activities. A ten minutes ride now takes
us one hour and sometimes more. A distance we pay forty or fifty Naira for, we
now pay hundred Naira. You can hardly make it on time to any appointment. Going
out these days is a trauma. Sometimes, I
ask myself if it's a bad thing to live in Aba. I didn't include pictures of the road because if I did, you will
probably not eat the rest of the day-the sights are irritating. Luckily for me,
I live in an area that's a bit clean but whenever I have to go out, I usually
close my eyes as I sit in the Keke. Those terrible sights disturb me a lot.
What is the fate of those that cannot afford to pay for Keke drop? Our Keke
drivers are real heroes. You need to see them wading through the water and
hitting their machines on the very deep potholes. They should be conscripted
into the Nigeria Army and that, without much training. Aba road has completed
that assignment. With the kind of anger and frustration they exude, Boko Haram
will soon be history.
Businesses are
suffering. Which road will people take to come to buy from your shop? Bus and
Keke drivers spend more to keep their automobiles running on the very bad
roads: who pays for it-the masses. Yet, the government makes money from this
people's sweat every day. They buy daily tickets without which they cannot
carry people. Actually, the cost of the ticket has been increased by the
present administration. I heard there was a new ticket that was recently
introduced called "loading and offloading." So, you see drivers work
with so much frustration. They drive passengers anyhow. They drop us anywhere.
(People endure all these because if not for these crazy drivers, you either
stay at home and miss important engagements or trek the dreadful roads. Necessary
inconvenience you can rightly call them.) No one checks all these. The only
thing the government does is to place their touts in every nook and cranny of
the city to checkmate drivers who are working without a ticket. If a driver is
caught, it's usually a terrible experience for him.
Dear governor, what
seems to be the problem? Is it that the
Barber doesn't know how to cut or is it the clipper that is blunt? Is it money? We understand that there is no
money in the state, but what about the money generated internally from the
state on a daily basis-from bus drivers, Keke drivers, shop owners in the
streets and in the various numerous markets in the city who pay different
levies? Can’t that be used to begin? Is it the will? Is the pain people are going not enough to spur
you to action?
Is anyone thinking
about the future of this state? At this rate, what becomes of her in the next
twenty years? The leaders have succeeded in making the state unattractive to
graduates. All of them relocate upon graduation meanwhile; it is the presence
of good heads that develops a city. Aba has always been a business city and
will always be. But what has her millionaires done for her except make more and
more from her each day? What have they given back to the city? Have the quality
of the lives of people been improved by their enterprises? People in Aba drink so much because that's
the only form of recreation they know. Who will bring the cinemas, the parks,
the beautiful gardens, the shopping malls, the online shopping malls and all
those nice things people in developed cities enjoy if not these good heads the
city keeps spitting out? Who will introduce the humane and efficient services
people in other cities enjoy? What is Aba man’s business with
customer care? Isn’t that the kind of Aba the business man has fashioned for
himself? The kind of Aba he thrives in? What is the future of a city where over
20% of her young men are touts? It's
about time our leaders become responsible to the plight of the people and the future
of this state. It’s about time they began to do something with the trust we’ve given them
through our votes or not.
Dear Governor, the
responsibility you have assumed is huge.( In fact, the only state that is as
bad as our Abia is Bayelsa.) We all understand the enormity of your
responsibility. You also did and still do. When you elected to take up
leadership of the state, you knew you were inheriting a lot of garbage and
years of so much neglect. So, get about it. We all saw your campaign bill boards
and adverts where you were seen clearing dirt off the streets of Aba-heaven at
last! Get about it already. The state is tired. The people are tired. Do what
you can while you can. Four years is not such a long time but you can make
every day count.
IGBOKWE VIVIAN BEULAH
scriptwriter87@gmail.com
Twitter : @club7teen
