FG should fix South-East roads before tolling –MASSOB

the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra has called on the Federal Government to rehabilitate the bad roads in the South-East before returning toll gates to the region.

MASSOB said it was wrong to consider fixing toll gates on the roads in the South-East when they (roads) were still in their decrepit state.

In an interview with WE4WE REPORTS, the group’s Director of Information, Mr Sunday Okereafor, also lamented that the roads in the South-East and South-South regions were death traps and should be fixed urgently.

Okereafor said, “They (Federal Government) said they would build toll gates in the South-East and other parts of the country; but where are the roads for them to fix toll gates? There is no road in the South-East.

“From Onitsha to Enugu, from Enugu to Aba to Rivers State and to Akwa Ibom, all the roads are bad. Then from Rivers State to Patani, no road. But they say they are building toll gates. The Federal Government should fix the roads in the South-East before talking about toll gates.”

The MASSOB spokesman also called on the people from the South-East to ignore the recent promise of coastal railway in the region by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige.

Ngige had during the Ofala in Anambra State assured the people of the South-East the Federal Government would soon begin a coastal railway that would cross Asaba, Agbor, Warri, Itakpe Ajaokuta to Abuja.

But Okereafor described the promise as empty, adding that pledges were also made on Ogoni clean-up and second Niger Bridge without much commitment towards their fulfilment.

He argued that since such a project was not carried out when the economy was in good shape, it would be difficult to execute a coastal railway when Nigeria’s economy was facing challenges.

He stressed, “The promise by Senator Ngige that they are going to construct railway is an empty promise; it is an empty promise by the Federal Government. Even the second Niger Bridge close to Ngige’s community is still uncompleted; nothing is happening there.

“The Ogoni clean-up is another empty promise. MASSOB is telling the Igbo that they should ignore such a promise on railway. Such a project was not embarked on when the economy was sound; is it now that the economy is in a shambles that they will construct railway in the South East?

“What of the second Niger Bridge? What about the promise on Ogoni clean-up? What about our refineries? The Federal Government should fix the roads in the South-East before talking about railway. The Igbo should forget what the government is talking about. How can you build toll gates on death traps?”

Explaining that the hope of achieving meaningful development was based on the realisation of Biafra, Okereafor maintained that it was only Biafra that would give the Igbo good roads and railway.

“We are telling the Igbo that Biafra is our answer. It is only Biafra that will give them railway and good roads,” he insisted.