Stanley Ihedigbo
Human Rights , Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) has knocked Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State over spending million on decorations of some places in the State during this Yuletide season.
Some of the places decorated include Bridgehead, Upper Iweka, Ziks Round About all in Onitsha, Aroma junction in Awka, the State capital among other areas as part of Christmas and New year celebration.
The Executive Director of HURIDE, Dede Uzor A. Uzor, in a statement issued in Onitsha expressed the displeasure with Governor to beautify the State dotted with failed roads and filths.
He said sources close to the Government House Awka, confirmed that several millions of naira was spent in decorating these places in the State.
He said such huge amount of money would have been channeled into fixing the deplorable roads in the State as well as clearing refuse littering every place in the state especially Onitsha because it would serve the people better than the “wasteful decorations”.
The HURIDE boss said the Governor and his people prefer the decorations and shooting of knock- out at Upper Iweka in Onitsha because more money would come out from there for looting.
“These are wasteful venture. It is unfortunate that the Governor is wasting such money on decorations at a period the Federal Government of Nigeria and State Governments including his own Government is complaining of lean resources and allocations, which has pushed the economy into recession.
The resources should have been channeled into rehabilitation of roads which have direct economic benefits on the citizen” of the State” said Dede Uzor.
Some of the roads, he said, include Obodoukwu, Edeh in Okpoko in OgbaruLocalgovernmentarea, Niger Street, Oguta Road, 3-3, Nsugbe College Road, Akpaka Forest Road, New Market Road, Ekwulobia bye pass and Udoji roads .
Others are Orlu by Arondizuogu Street, PortHacourt Road, Zik Avenue by Ochanja, Creek Road, Mbonu Ojike and others” .
The HURIDE boss lamented that Onitsha and its environs are littered with filths and pigs, oozing out stench but the Governor seemed to be indifferent about the environment and health of the people of the state”.
He wondered the type of beautification the State Government did when the entire place is producing odious smell and the entire commercial city of Onitsha is knocked up with traffic gridlock due to bad roads and other infrastructural challenges,Dede Uzor fumed.
