Udi rightsholders visit completed livelihood road project

As part of the underlying activities under the aegis of Accountability for Empowerment (A4E) project supported by Voice Nigeria, the Mothers And Marginalised Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre) rightsholders of Udi Local Government of Enugu state conducted exchange learning site visits to abandoned and recently completed livelihood road projects in the Local Government.

The exchange field tours were targeted at practical experience sharing among rightsholders to enhance their understanding on the project’s advocacy progress and impacts across communities in Udi. The tours were complemented by visits to selected livelihood road projects including those recently completed through advocacy efforts like Obinagu road.

A group of rightsholders from Umuaga Ward visited the road connecting Ekeani Enugu village road via Etiti. Another group from Amokwe visited Amachala via Umuase road. The rightsholders from Opkatu visited Obinagu road; while rightsholders from Amachalla-Ngwo visited Orie Agu via Nkwoagu road.

Speaking during the visit to the completed Obinagu road, Barr. Ola Onyegbula, Director Legal, MAMA Centre explained that Udi women/rightsholders are indigenous farmers, who derive most of their income from the sale of farm products.

However, according to her, the roads leading from their villages to markets and to other neighbouring towns and markets were unmotorable.

She said: “The state government during the past administration awarded contracts to build the linking roads for ease of movement from the hinterland to the cities so that smallholder farmers will have means of transporting their goods to improve incomes.

“For lack of access roads, the women farmers earn very little for their hard work, most of the perishable items spoil from lack of storage facilities or lack of buyers and access roads to transport goods to cities where they can get value for their money.”

“There is serious lack of accountability in monitoring contracts and this has been the bane of community development and employment opportunities for young people.

The interventions under the project have been giving voices and capacity to the rightsholders as they build a formidable force demanding accountability for sustainable socio-economic empowerment in Udi Local Government Area,” she added.

Meanwhile, Madam Grace Oriaku, Program Officer also Udi-rightsholders, commended the State and Local Governments for coming to the aid of the residents of the area and also expressed her displeasure over the neglect of other roads awaiting completion in Udi.

She said that the road, which was hitherto impassable, was now a joy to drive on, stating that it had enhanced the social and economic activities in the area and improved the living conditions of the people.

Madam Oriaku recalled that the MAMA Centre-Voice Nigeria-led rightsholders in early 2023 paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Udi Local Government Areas, to demand dedicated policy action towards the completion of abandoned roads in the Local Government, to ease transportation burden and facilitate movement of goods and services, especially farm products.

“We were assured during the visit the immediate attention will be given towards their completion.

“This in effect, is what we have here today.

“We need to properly take ownership of this process so as to ensure sustainability.

Many road projects remain abandoned for a long time for lack of community-led accountability mechanism.

That is why we must express gratitude to MAMA Centre and Voice Nigeria for giving us this wonderful opportunity to independently approach the Government and voice our concerns.

Another rightsholder, Mrs. Benedict Azubuike, observed that the road had positively impacted on the lives of people in the area, as well as boosting activities of farmers and business enterprises.

Mrs. Ndidi Ani, a rightholders who owns palm oil farm in Udi, said that the government did a good job on the road and remarked that the project added a lot of value to farm harvests in the area, as it eases movement of goods to other connected markets.

Also, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwachukuwu, a rightsholders said: “You know the empowerment and livelihood projects are critical to the survival of the grassroots.

“This is what government owes the people, which is to give us a sense of belonging, give us access to the markets so we can compete favourably for better earning towards self-reliance.

“We thank the State and Local Government for coming to our area to tarred our roads, but we are still advocating for the completion of others abandoned”, she added.

During the visit to the Orie Agu via Nkwoagu road, Madam Precious Emmanuel (rightsholder), lamented that neglected road has been brought untold hardship and made life unbearable to her people.

She said: “They promised to construct the road, which they actually started and later abandoned.

“The construction started during the tenure of previous administration but was abandoned when the tenure ended.

“When we did not see them, we had to call on MAMA Centre to build our capacity to independently build our capacity on what we should do to our plight.

“With the ongoing advocacy and interface, we are hopeful that the new administration would complete the road project.

“This is the reason we are carrying out policy dialogue, advocacy and series of interface with the policy makers, Civil Society and the media.

“Through this process, we are showing our grievances for the entire world to know what is going on so that appropriate authorities too would also come to our aid.

“We are not fighting anybody as we are a peace-loving community, but we are compelled to make them comply to our demand.

On a visit to Amachala via Umuase road, Madam Linda Anthony, added that the lingering abandoned road project is a clear signal that there “a problem with policy direction,” and events in the last decade are pointers to the fact that the community needs to be rescued from the era of wasting abandoned projects that add economic value to the people.

She said, “Abandoned projects have made life more difficult for residents and farmers in the community, we spend more on transportation of goods and maintenance of our vehicles, especially during the rainy season.

“Residents are the ones bearing the brunt of the abandoned projects as the cost incurred on car maintenance and transport fares in the areas have gone up by over 200% in the past years.

“When it rains, some residents have to rely on men who carry them on their backs like babies or are compelled to use canoes.

“We observed that there is secrecy in the preparation, enactment, and implementation of the budget in the state, as well as a pervasive lack of transparency, conspired to keep citizens in the dark as to what their government owes them.”

Visiting Ekeani Enugu village road via Etiti, Mrs. Chika Ndubueze, a rightsholders, recounted: “Over the years, the road has been terribly bad.

“We always hold our breadth on the motorcycles who occasionally fall into mucky water that had taken over one side of the road. There is no trade.

“There was a day a man had an accident.

“There was no road for any vehicle to carry the man to the hospital.

“He eventually died.

“Many like that had passed away.

“Whenever any pregnant woman is in labour which would occasion carrying her to the hospital, there would be no way.”