The prolonged closure of Calabar-Itu Road in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has left business owners and residents reeling from financial losses and social hazards.
The road, shut down since May 2024 for underground drainage construction, was initially expected to reopen within a month. However, five months later, the project remains incomplete.
Golden, a supermarket owner, lamented, “My business has almost folded up since this road was closed. Most of my serious customers are motorists who would just park their vehicles and do a lot of shopping. For over five months, such a thing never happened. I have lost most of them.” He also expressed frustration over expired goods, which he had to auction off at a loss.
A beer parlour owner echoed similar sentiments, saying, “I feel reluctant to cook pepper soup because on three different occasions that I cooked, I couldn’t sell up to half of it and I ran at a loss. I’m getting tired of the whole thing because getting a new shop is not even easy.”
Gideon, a Tabernacle Road resident, described the devastating impact of flooding. “Floods would enter people’s poultry farms and houses, drown their fowls and destroy their electronics and other valuable properties.” Some residents have relocated temporarily, while others have abandoned their homes.
Commuters have turned to alternative routes, such as Ikpa Road and Uyo Village Road, which have become deplorable and almost impassable due to heavy traffic.
Residents have criticized the contractor’s slow pace and lack of capacity. Ubong queried, “The people handling the project are unnecessarily slow. If they are not serious, why don’t the government give it to more serious firms?”
Commissioner for Works, Prof Eno Ibanga, appealed for patience, assuring completion by December. He cited torrential rainfall as the reason for delays and disclosed N4.54 billion investment in 11 emergency intervention ARISE projects, including Tabernacle underground drainage. However, two weeks after his statement, little progress has been made.
