Iwuanyanwu calls on FG to fix failed roads in South East

A businessman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, on Tuesday appealed to the Federal Government to repair failed roads across the country, especially those in the South East geopolitical zone.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Owerri, Imo State, Iwuanyanwu said several roads in South East Nigeria were in deplorable conditions and adversely affecting businesses in the area.
Iwuanyanwu said: “The roads in the South East region are bad and the heavy rains this year even made the situation worst.
“Government should release money for the repair of these roads alongside other roads begging for attention outside the zone now that we are approaching the dry season.
“I will also use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government to resume work on the second River Niger Bridge, and revive the railway lines within the South East zone to ease difficulties faced by businessmen.”
According to Iwuanyanwu, the deplorable state of road infrastructure in the zone requires the urgent attention of the Federal Government.
He said: “There is no state in the South-East region that does not have serious problem of road.”
Iwuanyanwu said that the South East people were largely entrepreneurs and business people whose businesses depended on good road network and other infrastructure to thrive.
Iwuanyanwu also said: “These business owners pay custom duties, taxes and Value Added Tax which form the bulk of government revenue.
“It will be nice that when government wants to spend its revenue, it considers the interest of people from the areas the revenues are generated from.”
Iwuanyanwu also advised President Muhammadu Buhari to consider splitting the ministry of works, power, and housing so as to ensure due attention to roads and other infrastructure.
He said: “The Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatude Fashola, is a very efficient person who performed well as the governor of Lagos State. But for him to superintend over these three key areas at the federal level is too big for result.”
Iwuanyanwu, a professional civil engineer, also urged heads of government to always appoint trained engineers as commissioners and ministers of works so as address several problems plaguing the construction sector.