Death of 12 persons on the Eleme-Onne stretch of the East-West road within a week has angered the former Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Leyii Kwanee, and he has threatened to permanently block the road with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) if the Federal and Rivers State governments fail to fix it within 21 days.

Recall that eight persons were crushed to death after a tanker loaded with heavy-duty containers fell on a commercial bus due to the deplorable condition of the road.

Two days later, four persons reportedly lost their lives on the same section of the road after a heavy duty tanker knocked a Toyota Sienna into a collapsing Aleto bridge with its passengers.

Kwanne, who expressed deep concern after witnessing the second accident, while returning from his hometown in Ogoni to Port Harcourt, yesterday, issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and other key stakeholders to fix the road and make it motorable or face grave consequences.

The former Deputy Speaker, who is the state governorship candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), said: “We have noted the depth of grief expressed by Rivers people and other well-meaning Nigerians over the avoidable destruction of lives resulting from trailers falling on a bus and crushing to death passengers.

“I am concerned that we have leaders and governments in place, who swore to protect and defend the Nigerian Constitution, yet can go to bed every other night whilst the lives and properties 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 warehouses hundreds of multimillion dollar foreign and local investments such as are found in the Federal Ocean Terminal at Onne in Eleme Council to consume the lives of citizens plying that route. This is unacceptable by every civilised standards and we condemn it in no uncertain terms.