The collapse of a drainage channel being constructed by the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has caused a stir in the state.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the channel, located at Niger Street in Onitsha, reportedly caved in on Thursday evening, following heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding.
A video of the collapsed drainage, which has gone viral on social media, shows an individual expressing disappointment at the quality of the road constructed by the governor.
The person in the video stated that the road was made of just red earth, without any cement, and had collapsed after just one rainfall. The person also referenced a long letter written by Soludo against former governor Peter Obi, in which he claimed he would not be silent while history beckoned.
Several other residents of the state also made derogatory remarks about the drainage and the accompanying road.
However, some individuals have come to the governor’s defense, insisting that the rainfall occurred on the same day that the work was completed, and that it was an unexpected downpour.
According to Nkemjika Nwanolue, “the contractor is still on-site, and no one has declared that project completed. The concrete cast takes a minimum of seven days to cure and about 21 days to fully stabilise.
“That very gutter on Niger Street had neither cured nor stabilised before the rains of that very day, and anyone who knows Onitsha knows the volume of flood that greets every rainfall. The contractor, even from that very video recording, is still very much on site.
“Dubai, as it is today, did not happen in 13 months (Soludo has spent 13 months in office) and certainly not with the kind of bitter soul that made that video. Soludo is very much on course and will never be distracted by the tantrums of politically bitter people.”
An appointee of the state government, Chidiebele Obika, defended the governor stating that Anambra State Commissioner for Works has visited the site.
He said: “Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Engineer Ifeanyi Okeoma, a team of engineers from the Ministry and TEC Engineering officials are here at Niger Street, Fegge, Onitsha, to inspect the level of work on the stretch and witness first-hand the effects of yesterday’s heavy downpour on the road.
“Contrary to the amateur clip that went viral earlier today, nothing much happened; I can confirm that the construction company handling the project is on site working on the stretch.”
