By Ushang Ewa
It is different strokes for different folks who ply or have activities in the surrounding area of the Odukpani junction axis of the Calabar-Itu-Ikot Ekpene highway following minor rehabilitation works.
The minor rehabilitation, CrossRiverWatch gathered from sources on ground was carried out by Sermatech construction company on Thursday, August 13, 2015 with a section of the road spanning from the large billboard close to the new truck park up to the main intersect excavated and filled with stones and what seems to be sharp sand.
Motorists hope it is a sign that good times are ahead as all who spoke with CrossRiverWatch agree that though it is better than a week ago, it won’t stand the test of time as potholes are already returning barely after completion of the work.
One of the respondents who simply gave his name as Ubong even predicted that it won’t be up to a fortnight for the portion of the road that has been fixed to get bad again.
Hawkers, Cyclists and Shop owners largely described the job as “shabby” and “yeye (pidgin for useless and/or stupid)”. They cite the mud when it rains and dust when it is sunny as bad for business.
“I don’t mind risking running on a tarred road to sell my groundnut to travelers, but this mud is just too much as one can easily slip and fall” says a 15 year old Anita (not actual name) who spoke in pidgin.
It is still unclear who awarded the contract but comments on social media suggested that Governor Benedict Ayade who has been out of the state for some time now did; some other people say Sermatech carried out the work as part of the contract for the minor rehabilitation of the highway which it is currently handling.
A twenty minutes walk from the junction towards Itu shows more still needs to be done as bad spots and craters are still riddling the road.
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