A former Chairman of Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Chidi Ordu has lamented the neglect of Nekede Ancient Kingdom by successive state government.
Ordu, popularly known as Madoka regretted that government is not paying attention to the yearnings of the kingdom which has a population of about 200,000 people and located a shooting distance from Owerri Metropolis.
In an interview on Tuesday, Madoka bemoaned the deplorable condition of the Westend/Emmanuel College/Rochas Gate/Timaya Hotel Road which connects Imo State Zoological Garden and Wild Life Park and other important establishments.
He stated that Nekede Community has been neglected in spite of its immense contributions to the economic growth of the state.
Madoka listed public establishments sited on Nekede soil to include Imo Concorde Hotel, Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) Secretariat and the Federal High Court Complex.
He decried the devastations being caused by erosion on the Westend/Emmanuel College/Rochas Gate/Timaya Hotel Road following the abandonment of the contract for the reconstruction of the road.
According to him, Nekede Community has virtually been cut off from the rest of the state even as movement and communication has badly been imperiled owing to the bad road.
Recall that Ordu during his reign as the Owerri West Local Government Area Chairman mobilized contractors that graded Umuguma/World Bank Road, Nekede Old Road and built a bridge.
Ordu advised the people of Nekede Ancient Kingdom to be patient, promising he would grade the roads in the council area as a show of concern to the plight of the residents.
In spite of playing host to two strategic federal institutions namely Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Police College, Nekede and connecting Federal University of Technology, Owerri, the Naze-Nekede-Ihiagwa-Obinze Road is in deplorable condition.
Contract for the road which was awarded by the short-lived Emeka Ihedioha administration was undertaken by the Senator Hope Uzodimma administration which tarred up to the Nekede section, leaving the Ihiagwa-Obinze part of the road.
