Ikwuano/Ikot-Ekpene Road Saga: Indegenes Exonerate Hartland Company, *Say our brothers use funds for selfish interests
…See full details on-the-spot assessment
By Charity Uwakwe
Aggrieved people of Ikwuano local government Area of Abia State have unanimously exonerated Hartland Construction Company over the protracted delay in resuming and completing the construction of the popular Ikwuano/Ikot-Ekpene road, saying the company cannot be sued, hence funds where not disbursed to them. They urged the people to hold their Representatives who confiscated the funds allotted for the project.
Clarion calls have been made to the federal government of Nigeria led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urge Hartland Construction Company to expedite efforts towards actualising the construction of a popular Trunk-A Road in Abia State, the Ikwuano/Ikot-Ekpene, road.
This is even as the perceived delay in the completion of the construction of the popular Ikwuano/Ikot-Ekpene road has, in recent times, sprung up worries in the minds of the people of Ikwuano local government Area of Abia State.
Reportedly, Heartland Construction company who is handling the road construction has overtime, been accused of a snail-pace movement in restoring the beauty of the roads, thus making it passable both for commuters and motorists.
The people of Ikwuano who are predominantly agrarians who spoke to Famous Reporters during a rove, could not dissemble their grievances prompted by the obvious deplorable condition of the roads which, according to them, has over the years, intermittently claimed the lives of many of the users, some of who were students of the renowned Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU).
It is no longer news that the said road which transcends to other neighbouring states, hence Akwa-Ibom and Cross River has over the years posed as a death trap to road users, and has received a complacent attitude from those handling the project.
Meanwhile, the issue of Ikwuano/Ikot-Ekpene road and the perceived abandonment of the project has been in the spotlight, thus sparking intense concern amongst the right thinking members of the community both home and abroad. They argue that Hartland Construction Company has over the years.
Recently, a letter was directed to His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, by Barr. (Dr.) Monday Ubani, (SAN) a prominent son of Ikwuano LGA, wherein he appealed for the immediate intervention of the latter over the urgent need to resume and complete the road project which has seemingly been abandoned for many years, with what he described as “false hopes” for the people.
In the letter which he captioned: “Request for urgent intervention on the abandoned Ikwuano/Ikot-Ekpene Road Project”, Ubani regretted that the delay in delivering the project which was awarded since the year 2019, had drastically affected the people, thus jeopardising their economy, among other adverse effects.
The 7-parapgraph letter/petition read in part:
“We can no longer remain silent while other regions receive swift attention on similar projects. The people of Ikwuano, and indeed all road users between Abia and Akwa Ibom, Cross River, demand with due respect, immediate government intervention. We implore Your Excellency to urgently direct the relevant authorities, especially the Minister of Works to investigate and resolve whatever is stalling progress and ensure the immediate resumption and completion of this vital project that is of great economic importance to the region and Nigeria generally.”
However, the said letter did not get down well with the immediate past House of Representatives Member, Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency of Abia State, under President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration, Rt. Hon. Samuel Ifeanyichukwu Onuigbo who took to a defense of the federal government, as he debunked Ubani’s claims on the alleged abandonment of the roads.
Addressing a group of journalists in Fct Abuja, on Friday, April 11, 2025, reprimanded Ubani over what he described as “false and sensational claims” as it regards the state of the Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene Road project.
Onuigbo further accused Ubani of trying to play to the gallery following his position as a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), the ruling party in the State, while reaffirming that there were no abandoned roads in the area.
Part of the lines of the interview read: “The claims in the so-called petition are erroneous and deliberately crafted to stoke public disaffection,” were the words of Onuigbo.
Speaking further, he said: “They misrepresent the actual state of affairs and do a great disservice to the Federal Government and the people.”
Contrarily, it could be recalled that Famousreporters.com alongside other Media houses, had reported that the same road had recorded incessant casualties, hence the need for Hartland Construction Company to respond to the wailings and yearnings of the devastated people of Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency of Abia State.
Famousreporters.com, who carried out an on-the-spot assessment yesterday, Monday, April 14, 2024, observed that there was no road construction currently going on, on the said road, as the road from Okwe-ukwu Oboro linking other communities such as Isiala-Oboro, the council’s host community, Ugbebila and Ekebedi is still in a piteous condition.
Amidst regrets and indignation, some of the community members in a media chat with Famoureporters.com, who are known for their yearly humongous agricultural produce, decried the pains and agonies inflicted on them by the road, wailing that the poor road network system did not only pose a death trap to them, but also, crippled over 85% of their agricultural activities.
Some of the community who did not only utterly expressed resentment towards the snail-pace progress by the company, but also could not hide their feeling of dejection in the former House of Representatives member, whom they accused of sabotaging the efforts of Ubani in making sure that the federal government intervened in their miserable condition.
Stephen from Ekebedi has this to say:
“You can see with your own eyes that this road is bad and it’s been bad for more than 25years. Every year, we hear they want to construct this road and we know they are using this road for politics. Whenever it’s an election period, they begin to organise contractors that will come and use it to do campaigns and at the end of the campaigns, we’ll not see them again.”
Asked if there were truly no abandoned roads as alleged by Onuigbo and the bone of contention between him and Ubani, he said:
“Yes, because he is interested in the project that’s why he said there were no abandoned roads. He’s a politician. So, we can excuse Barr. Ubani because he’s not a politician. Why he’s talking is because he’s a member of this community. He’s from Awomukwu. So, he’s crying. This is a Trunk-A that leads to Akwa-Ibom and Calabar and by this time every year, this road is always like this. Once we enter the rainy season, it will be difficult to pass.
Continuing, he lamented that: “so, Onuigbo saying the project is ongoing, nothing is ongoing. They’ll just abandon it. And what we’re hearing now is that they’ll stop at Ugbebila whereas they are supposed to get to the bandary between Ikwuano and Akwa-Ibom. So, the federal government has to do something about it.
Tankers keep falling here at intervals. As we speak now, in less than a few minutes, you’ll see another tanker will fall and this keeps happening year in, year out.
Another indigene of Ariam-Alala, a motorcyclist, who identified himself as Chigozie regretted that:
“This is a ring-road that connects the world. Our people that represent us from the Eastern zone, both Senate and Federal House know the problem of this road. They use to politicise themselves. This road is staying over 10 years since Goodluck Jonathan awarded it. They’re politicising it, they don’t want to do it. Because those that are in possession of the money approved by the federal government on this road, starting from the time of Goodluck, Buhari still rewarded it during his time. It’s only in this Tinubu’s administration that I’ve not heard about any reawarding. The people who engage Hartland, our people who represent us in the Senate and Federal House, it’s only God that will judge them.
“Not that the money is not there; the contractors are not the problem of the road, because if you give a contractor a contract and you give them the money to execute it, if they don’t execute it at the time limit, you can sue them to court.
But in this aspect, for you know the truth that no one is threatening the contractor is because they didn’t give them the money required to work on the road. Therefore, no body should threaten them to sue them to court.
“From this area, f you can watch Hartland Construction Company, they’ve stopped so many of their workers from working because they don’t have money to pay them.
On the debunking of the alleged abandoned roads, he said:
“If it’s not a abandoned, you could have seen it yourself. They’re only posting…I don’t know where they capture the pictures they post for the world to see. You can see it yourself. So, the contractors are not to blame but those our brothers that are holding the money and are using it for their selfish interests.
Similarly, another indigene, an elderly man in his late 70’s, Mr. Earnest from Ekebedi who spoke in his Ikwuano local dialect, expressed acrimony over the negligence of the leaders who allegedly care little or less about the agonies of the people.
Speaking amidst bitterness, he said:
“This road, we learnt that they were fixing it and that it had been awarded for four years but since three years ago they commenced work, we’ve never seen them get, all they do is merely to dump waste here for us.
Ndi mmanu anwugala ebea, nwugala ebea, —people have lost their lives here countless times), so we’re wondering if the people who gave them work still supervise them to knock if they are truly working or they just gave them a project and went home. So, we’re pleading with the government to provide people who can inspect the contractors to know what they are doing. And we’re wondering if those representing us are truly aware of what we go through”.
Corroborating, another youth from Ntalakwu- Oboro, Mr. Ugochukwu Enyinna lamented that the road which was awarded under Buhari’s regime was expected to have been completed within the first three years as it is done in other states. It was attracted by our uncle, father and friend, Rep. Sam Onuigbo.
“The little I know about Ikwuano/Ikot-Ekpene road is that the contractors moved into site in 2019 and started work almost immediately, they started with drainages. So, they did some little efforts in drainages but did little or nothing in asphalting. They started from Okwe-ukwu but left and right Okwe, they have not left Okwe. They have neither come very close to Ndoro not gone above Isiala.
Okwe is bounded byNdoro at the South and Isiala at the North. They’ve not crossed Isiala as a community nor have they crossed Ndoro in asphalting. So, we the people of Ikwuano are asking, why the snail-pace progress?Why are they reporting snail progress on this road and for how long will this road remain in this kind of progress they’re recording. It’s clearly an infinitesimal progress they’re recording!
Speaking further, he said:
“The actualisation and completion of this road is not a one-man business. But, we knew very well that our Uncle played a major road in attracting this road and since then, he has been monitoring it alongside others. But, the progress rate is very slow and we don’t know what the reason is.
The quality of what they’re doing so far is good but let the work move at the pace everyone desires.”
Asked about the speculations on the limited availability of funds, he said unequivocally that:
“We learnt that a total sum of #14.37b was released for this same road in February, 2025, to the best of my knowledge. And, presently we have equally learnt that Hartland had laid off some staff blaming their reason for the shortage of funds. This happened at the end of March, 2025, telling them that they lacked money to continue the work with a promise to re-employ them as soon as money is made available to them. So, the big question is: what happened to #14.37b and at what point again will you go back to work.”
Enyinna disclosed to Famousreporters that: “it has become a recurring decurrent decimal that Hartland Construction Company works only for 2-3 months yearly since the inception of the project.
They, therefore, unanimously called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government of President Tinubu to incline his ears to their protracted sorrows thereby calling Hartland company to order, so as to ensure that the construction of the roads is recommenced and without further hesitation, completed.
They also used the medium to appeal to their prominent sons, Rt. Hon. Sam Onuigbo and Barr. (Dr.) Monday Ubani desist from aggrandising their political inclinations over the affairs of the people, but treat with utmost priority, their dying need.
Meanwhile, all efforts by our Correspondent to ascertain from anyone of the Engineers of the company who had just driven into the company situated at Ndoro Oboro in a long van, the root cause of the protracted delay in delivering the project proved futile, as the security officers without mincing words, announced their absence, as they urged her to “come back tomorrow”.
“This is exactly what they keep on saying whenever anyone tried to meet up with the Company’s representatives in order to find out about the progress of the construction. Those security men will bluntly tell you that they’re not on ground but you can come back tomorrow. That’s what they will tell you. And, if you still come back tomorrow, they’ll still say the same thing.
I am from Amawom and I personally, as a concerned indegene have gone there and so many of us too, but this same response was what we got after several attempts.”
Those were the words of a passer-by who spoke to famousreporters.con on the basis of anonymity.
In a related development, a social-cultural group in the council which houses sons and daughters of Ariam-Usaka home and in diasporan, hence Voice of Ariam-Usaka Foundation in a rejoinder signed by Comrd. Daniel Ikechukwu Ezegbe
President, vehemently disputed the Onuigbo’s assertions on the current state of things as regards the position of the road.
The group pointedly accused Onuigbo of being more keen on holding brief for the presidency order than working towards providing a lasting solution to the yearnings of the people.
The rejoinder read in part:
“We disagree with Hon. Chief Onuigbo’s assertion that the project is progressing. The reality on the ground contradicts his claims.
We question the timing of Hon. Chief Onuigbo’s statement, which appears to be more focused on defending the government’s image than addressing the people’s concerns.”
They, therefore, urged Hon. Chief Onuigbo and Dr. Nwaubani to “prioritize the people’s interests over political loyalty. The project’s slow pace demands scrutiny, not dismissive rhetoric.”
