The Senate has called on the Federal Government to initiate urgent emergency repairs and a complete reconstruction of the Onitsha–Iyiowa–Odekpe–Atani–Ogwuikpele–Ndoni Federal Highway. The vital interstate artery, which traverses Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra State and links the South-East to the South-South, has suffered from decades of severe neglect and infrastructural breakdown.
The resolution followed a motion presented by Senator Tony Nwoye (Anambra North Senatorial District) under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders. Senator Nwoye pointed out that the 70 kilometer corridor has seen no major rehabilitation since its partial construction in the late 1980s. Over time, excessive traffic, aging infrastructure, and erosion have left large stretches riddled with deep potholes, structural failures, and hazardous travel conditions.
Senator Nwoye emphasized that the highway serves as a pivotal economic backbone supporting agricultural trade, interstate commerce and energy operations within the Ogbaru oil belt.
Key impacts of the road’s current state highlighted in the motion include:
- Doubled Travel Times: What should be a one-hour journey between Onitsha, Ogbaru, and Ndoni now takes nearly two hours.
- Safety and Security Risks: Frequent vehicular breakdowns leave commuters stranded, increasing susceptibility to traffic accidents and security threats.
- Economic Disruption: High transportation costs and delayed movement of goods threaten local commerce, oil and gas exploration, and regional economic integration.
Continued deterioration of this critical highway risks discouraging local investment, deepening economic hardship for residents across Anambra and Rivers states and stalling essential industrial activitie.
Senator Nwoye.
To prevent further hardship and economic losses, the Senate passed the following resolutions:
- Immediate Emergency Repairs: Urged the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), the Federal Ministry of Works or the South-East Development Commission to carry out immediate remedial repairs on impassable sections.
- Comprehensive Reconstruction: Directed the Federal Ministry of Works to integrate the highway into a special intervention program or alternative financing scheme for a total overhaul.
- Budgetary Allocation: Charged the Senate Committees on Works and Appropriations to safeguard adequate funding for the project in upcoming national budget cycles.
- On-Site Legislative Assessment: Mandated the Senate Committee on Works to perform an on the spot inspection of the highway and report findings back to the Senate floor within four weeks.
The Senate expressed confidence that these targeted interventions will restore road safety, slash transit times, boost interstate trade, and strengthen regional connectivity between the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones.
