The stakeholders in Umerum community have appealed to Governor Charles Soludo not to abandon the ongoing construction of Awba Ofemili road project because of its strategic importance to the people of the state.
According to the stakeholders, the road project when completed would connect Awka North to Ayamelum community through Umerum.
The benefits of the people after the road completion are listed to include alleviating the sufferings of the people of the two local government areas known for rice production.
“The hardship our farmers usually pass through while trying to evacuate their agricultural produce to urban cities will also be reduced.
Investors will come to Ayamelum communities to invest in rice farming business; businesses will thrive and commercial banks will open their branch offices in the area, etc.
The on going road project is very strategic to the people of Anambra state because it linked Awka North LGA to Ayamelum communities known for massive rice production in the state.
There are rumours making the rounds in Umerum community that Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra state had stopped the construction of the Awba ofemili bridge in Awka North which traverses through Umerum to Omor both in Ayamelum.
The rumour emanated after the Umerum town Union leadership and HRH Igwe Christopher Ndibe paid a condolence visit to the Governor during his father’s funeral ceremony on December 23, 2023.
Reacting, a prominent man in the community, Chief Anierobi Mocha, said if the immediate past Governor of the state, Chief Willie Obiano could construct some capital projects such as cargo and passenger airport, Umueri, and built three bridges at Eziagulu Otu, Iyiora Anam and the bridge linking Umueje in Ayamelum to the oil well location site at Enugu Otu Aguleri, nothing stops Gov. Soludo from going ahead with the Awba ofemili road construction.
He also said there is no rumour without fact, the fact being that dirty politics is at play here where some bad elements would want to frustrate the project.
Speaking during an interactive session of the Ofuobi age grade, Umerum, the chairman Ayamelum central vigilante service, Chief Emma Nwankwo Nnalue confirmed the suspension of the road project, but however, appealed to the Governor not to abandon the important road project.
Also, the former speaker, Anambra state House of Assembly and a lecturer at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Prof. Arinze Obiora said the road project is very critical to Ndi-Anambra and to the people of the two local governments.
Prof. Arinze Obiora dissmissed the rumours making the rounds that work on the very critical project had been stopped, saying it was not easy to take away the grant which is already in a document, but appealed to Governor not to stop the project.
Contacted on phone, Chief Alphonsus Obikezie, the president general of Umerum town, allegedly told our reporter there was initial plan by the state government to divert the road project to another location but said the matter had been resolved.
He however dismissed the earlier reports making rounds in the community since December last year that work had stopped on the Awba ofemili road project but said the workers would soon be mobilized back to site.
Contacted, the traditional ruler of Umerum community, HRH Igwe Christopher Chibuogu Ndive said there was initial plan to divert the project to another new location.
Igwe Ndibe told our reporter that he met with the Manager handling the AwbaOfemili- Umerum – Omor- road project , and they discovered that the new place would be more capital intensive project more than the first one.
Because of this, according to Igwe Umerum community, they have now returned to the first one that would cost to about #37 billion naira.
He however assured our reporter that in the shortest possible time the manager would be mobilized back to site, to commence work on March this year.
