BY BENSON OKOBI-ALLANAH

RESIDENTS of Ezenei Avenue and its environs are not having the best of time as they now battle with mud, flood, unkempt environments and narrow portions of the road left to meander through their way.

A visit to Ezenei Avenue, a road that used to be classed amongst the best in Asaba metropolis, is now a shadow of itself. Its entire road now looks completely ruined despite the magnificent buildings that come in form of hotels, supermarkets, and relaxation spots, residential and commercial buildings it parades from its beginning to the end.

Garbage-filled drainages, road riddled with pot-holes and filled with admixture of stomach-churning refuse, and well-stewed with mud -now best describe the once beautiful Ezenei Avenue.

The road now stinks with all manners of refuse; it is now mud-sucking for the feet, a foot- seizing pit as a result of the recent clearing of the drainages on both sides of the road without immediate evacuation that turned the whole place to a sorry-sight and eye-sore as a result of the rain that welcomed back all dug out nonsense to the drainage and left the whole area flooded.

Right from the very start of the road from Traffic-light area by Zenith Bank Plc down to the Asagba of Asaba statue by the Asaba-Benin Expressway, it is now a whole stretch of road in total mess and ruin, courtesy of Oshimili South local government.

It was alleged that the contract for clearing of the drainages currently on-going, was awarded by the Oshimili South council area; that the contractor who engaged the services of Aboki people, instead of telling them (council officials) it is not the best of time to embark on such contract being a rainy season dived headlong into executing the contract which is now causing residents of the area and its environs hell of discomfort rather than bringing the expected relief. 

Reacting to the Ezenei Avenue drainage-clearing contract, Pastor of Redeemed People’s Ministry Int’l Incorporated, Asaba, Pastor Chris Oghenemairo, submitted without mincing words that he believes they are people being paid by some mischief makers and lip-service providers to destroy the good work of Governor Okowa in Asaba.

He asked why under any stretch of imagination a contractor, and the agency, government, be it local government or state, or individual that awarded such a contract of clearing the drainages of the refuse in them, would embark on such exercise when it is crystal clear that we are in rainy season, a season where rain stars all a sudden without the least sign that it is going to rain.

The Pastor in charge of Asaba branch of the Redeemed People’s Int’l  Ministry Incorporated, says it is a clear case of sabotage of the good governance of Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa for any council to have awarded such a contract in time of rain when the whole of dry season before the rainy season began was there and they could not award the contract.

He likened the award of contract to the contractor by the Oshimili South council area to that of a farmer who decides to burn the cleared weeds in his farm during rainy season instead of dry season when the expected result would be achieved, wondering why a contractor embarked on such exercise during this rainy season.

He recalled the recent environmental sanitation exercise embarked on by the officers of the 63 Brigade Nigeria Army Headquarters, Asaba, at the Ogbeogonogo Modern Market and some other places in the city, where refuse excavated from drainages were immediately evacuated into trucks that were readily available, saying that is how sanitation is done.

‘’You see, we are people full of ironies, opposite people. How can a local government that is desirous for good governance, a council that actually has the interest of its people at heart engage itself in such exercise at this time of the season when he knows it will be an exercise in futility? I say without equivocation that Oshimili South does not mean well for the people of Oshimili and other non-indigenes resident in Asaba. It is sheer wickedness for any one that awarded the contract and on the part of the contractor handling the useless contract to have embarked on clearing the drainages that have left the entire road in its worst form.’’

Speaking with Midweek Teaser, Pastor Oghenemairo says he is vexed because no sane man will see the deplorable state Ezenei Avenue is now and start commending the Oshimili South local government which we learnt, gave out the contract.  

‘’Oni Edozien street, all streets spurring into Ezenei Avenue from both sides, Ogbeilo street, 12x Road, Anti-cult area down to Ogbeogonogo Market,  Umudiake street down to Umuagu Altar, across Ibusa Road, we are not talking of roads on the other side of Asaba across the Asaba-Benin Expressway, starting immediately after the Asaba International Airport runway to Summit junction, all roads behind Koka junction to Akwuofu to Achalla-Igbuzor , Oduke, Okwe, roads behind Federal College of Education (Technical) etc that are in deplorable state. We know these are roads to be maintained by the state and local governments, but what input has Oshimili local government ever made in having any of these streets either graded or tarred? This administration, I must let you know, is the worse I have ever seen. That I’m not from Oshimili South local government does not mean I should feel unconcern because we are all suffering from this seemingly impasse by the local government in the development of the council areas. I don’t believe in innuendo, I point it out straight.’’ The Clergyman said,

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