From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
Efforts geared towards the dualisation of the Abakpa Nike-Opi-Nsukka road by the present administration in Enugu state led by Governor Peter Mbah has commenced in earnest.
The vital need for the dualisation of all this important road linking Enugu state capital to Nsukka and by extension to Abuja and some states in the Northern part of the country has persisted but for the huge financial cost and aspects of human factors,made previous administration in the state to have stayed away from the project.
The increasing population of Abakpa Nike sub urban with various social and economic activities have made movement across the area to and from Enugu to Nsukka a troublesome journey,which ordinarily would be completed in hour or thereabout.
Checks revealed that the protruding business activities, market stalls and some residential buildings were built on spaces that were originally mapped for road expansion in the Enugu city master plan.
The grid lock caused by this ugly development grew worse day after day as such commutters who lives at Abakpa Nike,most especially the civil servants and students must live very early in the morning,if they must avoid lateness.
The present dualisation of the road by Governor Peter Mbah when completed will nip the problem on the bud,even though it is generating mixed feelings among the residents.
It is observed that many market stalls and residential buildings that were marked to have exceeded their boundaries by developers were scratched by government bulldozers.
It was found out that those affected were given enough notices to vacate and remove their valuable structures which can be excavated.
The expressions of agony on the face of most traders and landlords whose buildings were touched by the bulldozers is a manifestation that they were not happy.
But many of Abakpa residents are saying that the dualisation of the two major tarmacs are the best measures to salvage from the gridlock that envelopes the area in the morning and evening hours, making them uncomfortable.
Far beyond that, the dualisation project which extends to Opi Nsukka town on completion will ginger socio economic activities along the route and will lure more investments into Enugu state, in line with Governor Mbah’s disruptive agenda of navigating development in the rural areas.
