Deplorable State Of Udu Road/Enerhen Junction: Why Delta State Government Must Act
By Vera Enuesike
Monday June 22, 2023, started like every other normal day. In the early hours of that day, I prepared for work as I usually do and had the intention of passing through the ever busy udu road to connect the office, which is also located along Airport road, in Warri, Delta state. Udu road for those that live in Warri, is known for being notorious when it comes to traffic congestion.
But, if what has been happening on that road in terms of traffic congestion was a challenge, what happened on Monday June 22, is a crisis.
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On that day, a journey from the Orhuwhorun road to Udu Bridge which used to take about ten minutes was made to last for over one hour.
In the same style, from the Udu Bridge to Enerhen Junction which ordinarily is supposed to be covered within 5 minutes, starched to about two hours. The Traffic jam on that day was something else. Passengers which included workers and students, old and young were stranded and confused.
Making the development a very painful one is the awareness that these traffic jams which caused many to waste man hours on these road points were as a result of bad portions. The roads were visibly riddled with potholes, a state of affairs that have in the past led to fatal accidents that resulted in the loss of lives with others sustaining different degrees of injuries.
Like Udu road, like Enerhen Junction. The once famous Enerhen Junction is now a shadow of itself. Presently, both the road leading to it and the junction are nothing to write home about. They are not only laced, but ‘decorated with potholes. Compounding the problem of that road is the non-existence of the drainage system.
Each time it rains, these roads become a hell of the sought for road users particularly those that are not mobile. Moving vehicles are left with no option than to splash on pedestrians, rain water housed by the uneven surface of the road.
Just like a handsome looking guy crossing the road and a bus driver splashed black and dirty water on him, I felt real pity for him cause he was on his way to work and was looking dirty. There were huge arguments between the young guy and the bus rider and the argument almost led to a fight before the issue was sorted out.
Due to the traffic caused by these pothole ridden roads, I had to trek a very long distance; from Enerhen junction down to Deco Junction before I had the opportunity to board another tricycle popularly called keke that finally took me to Estate.
On its part, my experience while on the keke was equally nothing to describe as pleasant because of the noisy nature of the music the operator was playing. It was so loud that at one point, I was forced to ask the rider why it was so noisy. And to my greatest amazement, he explained saying”Road no dey Warri again na abi you no dey see all the yeye road way dey the Warri”
I highlighted at the estate bus top and took another keke to Giwamu Road, Okumagba Layout where GbaramatuVoice, the office where I work is located.
Here, two Keke riders had a fight all because the front one got hit at the back all because of traffic; they had passengers and delayed the passengers.
The present state of roads in Warri metropolis calls for urgent attention of the state government because of its economic implications on the state.
For instance, traders/market women/Sellers who have personal businesses are made to pass through the same road and stay in the same traffic, their time gets delayed and sometimes, they are discouraged from going to their shops. Public buses are destroyed, students are punished for going late to school/classes despite how early they wake up and leave their homes, workers/staffs are queried for coming late and it’s all due to traffic jam, buses and keke riders burns fuel in the traffic thereby causing increase in transportation fee just for their passengers to arrive at their destination.
Most importantly, due to bad roads, there have been high rates of unnecessary accidents, traffic jams and air pollution.
This piece suggests that good Governance Practices anchored on international best practice needs to be put in place.
There is need for reconstruction/repairs of our bad/damaged roads to enable staffs/workers arrive their working place on time to avoid been queried, to avoid lateness to school and shops/market places, to reduce the rate of bad vehicles caused by potholes on the road, to reduce the rate of accident and its casualties, construction of drainages so dirty water won’t be splashed on pedestrians for a good state and healthy citizens because Good growth and development are necessary for smooth living of the state and its citizens.
This must be done in the interest of Warri residents and deltans as a whole.
Enuesike is an ND Mass Communication graduate of Auchi Polytechnic on Internship Programme at GbaramatuVoice Newspapers.
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