Video of eroded section of Ochanja-Iweka road handiwork of detractors, says commissioner

Ifeanyi Okoma, commissioner for works in Anambra state, says a viral video of washed-off sections of the Ochanja-Iweka road was the handiwork of “detractors”.

Videos of peeling portions of the road made the rounds on social media on Monday and Tuesday, amid allegations that the road was poorly done and hastily inaugurated by the Chukwuma Soludo-led Anambra government.

“Every one of us is here and you can see that the road is intact. We actually saw this video in the night and first thing in the morning, we were here only to find out that nothing happened to the road,” Okoma said.

“The contractor worked on Sunday and stopped a little bit and closed for the day. Few hours after he has worked and left the site, there was a heavy downpour, the drains were blocked and that pit is a little bit washed off.

“You can see that I am standing on the stone based material that has not been touched. Nothing is happening so I am shocked at the narrative that is going on… but it is the handiwork of detractors who are really not happy at the amount of things we are doing.

“I had to bring the contractor because this is actually an embarrassment to the government.”

Mark Tu, project contractor, said the construction of the road was challenging because the drainage channels are constantly blocked by traders.

“The road is still under construction and from today, we will still continue to work,” Tu said.

“We hope that we provide high-quality of work to the Anambra people but also we are happy that the Anambra people are watching us very well.

“We are still working, we have been working in Anambra for long and we have very good reputation.

“We still guarantee you that the quality is the same as what we have done before. We had a lot of challenges when we started building this road. The drainages have been blocked by marketers and traders.

“I am here to appeal to the market people and citizens here to support in keeping Anambra clean so that we can do a better job and even faster and you all can start enjoying a good environment.”

Christian Aburime, chief press secretary to the governor, had earlier refuted claims that the road was shoddily done.