The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Anambra State, Most Reverend Paulinus Ezeokafor, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the contracts awarded for South-East roads by previous administrations.
Ezeokafor made the call on Sunday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Awka.
The bishop, who described the federal roads in the South-East as deathtraps, said a probe into the award of road contracts in the zone would give an insight into how the roads became deathtraps.
The bishop faulted the approach by successive governments in handling federal road maintenance and repairs.
He appealed to the Buhari-led administration to fix the roads in the area in order to save lives.
The bishop added that further neglect of the roads in the zone would worsen the hardship being experienced by the people.
He said “When we talk of Enugu-Onitsha expressway, we are not happy at all. Generally, federal roads in the country, especially this part of the country, have been a perennial problem.
“Sometimes, you do not know who is fooling who. Sometimes, you will hear that they want to invite a construction company to construct roads here and our own people will say they prefer another company to carry out the construction works.
“All said and done, if the government has the will, it can take a stand on whom to give the job to. This is because at the end of the day it’s the Federal Government that will be blamed when it pertains to bad federal roads and federal facilities.
“The other day, we went to Port Harcourt for a meeting; there was a terrible gridlock on the way. Unfortunately, the road from Elele in Rivers State to Port Harcourt is completed but as you enter Imo on the same road, the trouble sets in, it needs serious attention.
“One is not very happy about the state of our federal roads, but the state roads are in good shape, especially here in Anambra.”
