Goodluck Jonathan(L), Muhammadu Buhari(R)
Inyali Peter|28 November 2016
I traveled along Calabar-Itu road today and for the first time, we drove from Odukpani junction to Uyo for less than an hour 30 minutes. We now have express road that link the two sisters states, Cross River and Akwa Ibom together.
Those who have plied this road about five to six months ago will understand my excitement. I'm talking about a road which was completely impassable and a dead trap.
We had a President from this region for six solid years but by omission or whatever reason was unable to fix the road. But President Muhammadu Buhari who has been unjustly, maliciously and wickedly labelled a 'religious fanatic and an ethnic bigot' has fixed this road in less than two years.
More amazing is the fact that what we have now according to reliable source is a temporal intervention to ameliorate sufferings of commuters as well as to reduce the incessant accident witnessed on the road over the past few years. The government has reportedly awarded the contract for the dualization of the road as captured in a 2016 appropriation bill.
While I know that by law of engagement, President Buhari may not have done us any favour by repairing the road as he was voted to develop every section of the country, when you remember that our own brother had this opportunity but feign ignorance to what the people where passing through, you will quickly agree that the President was very magnanimous to have sanctioned this project.
This is so because if our brother neglected us for six years and nothing happened, nothing would have happened too if the President paid deaf eyes to our calls for government to intervene on the road.
There are insinuations that over 250 people may have died of accident occurred along the Calabar-Itu road prior to Buhari's administration. But nothing was done. Even when contracts were allegedly awarded, the leadership then lacked the will to compel contractors to execute their contracts.
Honestly, this development has perfectly explained the maxim that "a good friend is better than a bad brother". What our bad brother couldn't do for six years, our good friend has done it in 18 months. Cross River and Akwa Ibom for this singular reason owe President Buhari nothing but appreciation and support.
I am happy for the choice I made to support Buhari in the 2015 general election.
I thank Mr. President for this wonderful project and urge him to also look into faststacking the repairs of other federal roads in the state.
Also, I appeal to Cross River state Governor, Senator Ben Ayade to support the federal government efforts in ensuring that our roads are fixed. We're in a critical situation where we are only demanding that government give us roads or just highways not superhighways.
Inyali Peter
Writes from Calabar
