• Commuters seek alternative route for tippers

Attempts by the Delta State Government to rehabilitate the bad Asaba end of the Niger Bridge have again been resisted by officials of Julius Berger Plc.

It would be recalled that the Delta State road agency, the Direct Labour Agency (DLA) had mobilised to the area shortly after the visit of the Minister of Works, Mr. Raji Fashola, but were chased away by officials of the construction company.

The second attempt to fix the road was again made last week, but officials of Julius Berger Plc, brandishing contract documents, insisted that the Delta State Government cannot work on the road as the state had no valid contract to do such.
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Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. Patrick Ukah, confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate.

Ukah revealed that the state government had also fixed the bad portions on Asaba/Ughelli road, which was almost cut into two just after Ogwashi-Uku, even though it is a federal road.

He expressed surprise that Julius Berger does not want the state government to fix this bad spot, which is just after Asaba as you are going to Onitsha, stressing that road users are crying because the road is a major gateway to the South-East.

The commissioner appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in the state, especially those roads that need urgent attention.

Against the backdrop of recurring accidents by tipper drivers, which claim lives, Asaba residents yesterday urged the state government to find alternative routes for tipper drivers, who convey dredged sand through Ibusa junction to building sites.

A prominent resident of the town, Mrs. Theresa Allarah, who spoke to our reporter on behalf of other residents, said to avoid more havoc, allegedly perpetrated by these tipper drivers, government should as a matter of importance provide them with alternative routes.

Allarah said that apart from the drivers’ alleged reckless killings, the destruction and defacing of roads, especially the newly constructed cable point road, remain a high level of irresponsible manners and decried as terrible the mess tipper lorries have caused to lives and properties in Asaba in the last two months.