FENRAD decries criminal neglect’ of Bende–Abam–Ohafia Road, demands immediate action

Nkem Ukaegbu, Umuahia

Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), has raised a strong public alarm over the shameful, inhumane, and indefensible state of the Bende–Abam–Ohafia Federal Road, a lifeline infrastructure that has been deliberately abandoned to decay in Abia North Senatorial District.

According to the group Executive Director, Com. Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, the road, which should serve as an artery for economic growth, social interaction, education, healthcare access, and food distribution, has instead become a symbol of government failure and elite indifference.

Its current condition is not only unacceptable but dangerous, exposing citizens to daily risks of accidents, loss of lives, vehicle destruction, rising transport costs, and deepening poverty.

FENRAD stated unequivocally that the continued abandonment of the Bende–Abam–Ohafia Federal Road amounts to institutional violence against the people, as communities are cut off, businesses collapse, and basic human mobility is denied.

The suffering of road users, especially women, children, farmers, traders, and students, has been normalized for far too long.

While FENRAD acknowledged the intervention of the Abia State Government in constructing bridge along this abandoned federal road, we stress that this isolated effort—though commendable—only exposes the glaring absence of federal responsibility.

A bridge without a functional road leading to and from it is a painful metaphor for governance without commitment. The construction of one structure cannot replace the urgent need for the comprehensive reconstruction of the entire road.

FENRAD therefore unequivocally condemned the negligence, silence, and failure of representation by the elected officials of the area, particularly the Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and Hon.Okwara Member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Their inability or unwillingness to aggressively push for the rehabilitation of this critical federal road represents a disturbing abandonment of their mandate and a betrayal of public trust.

It is unacceptable that year after year, the Bende–Abam–Ohafia Federal Road is mentioned in budgets, promised in speeches, and abandoned in reality. Repeated contract failures, lack of transparency, and zero accountability have turned this road into a permanent monument of broken promises.

FENRAD demanded, as a matter of urgency, that the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Works, immediately re-award the contract for the total reconstruction of the Bende–Abam–Ohafia Federal Road to a competent and credible contractor.

This must be backed by adequate funding, strict supervision, public transparency, and clear completion timelines.

We call on the people of Abia North, civil society organizations, traditional institutions, youth groups, and the media to raise their voices and demand action. Silence in the face of this level of neglect is no longer an option.

The people deserve roads that protect lives, support livelihoods, and reflect the dignity of citizenship—not endless abandonment and cosmetic interventions. The neglect of the Bende–Abam–Ohafia Federal Road must end now.