The indigenes of Agba village in Ekwulobia, Aguata local government area took to the streets to complain to the general public the state of their roads and the deplorable state of the general hospitals domiciled in the area to cater for the health needs of the people of the area and beyond. The peaceful protest was led by the Executive of Agba Village Development Union led by Mr. Bertrand Uchechukwu Ezeokoli was aimed at calling the attention of the Governor Willie Obiano led government to intervene and rescue the people from the pitiable condition it has found itself.
From Christian Odogwu, The Pilot, Nigeria
The protesters made up of Young Children, youths and adults of the village marched on the streets carrying placards with various inscriptions ranging from ” Social Contracts are not kept,” “Election are coming again o,” “Save Our Soul Mr. Governor,” “Are We Remembered Only During Elections” and so many others as they marched through the streets to the Ekwulobia General Hospital to show the public the Ugly state of things in the hospital.
In his address, the chairman said that the village has been pushed to the wall over the condition of their road. He said that the reason while they staged the peaceful protest was to let the government know that they are no more relaxed with the state of their road and hospital.
His words: “We are here to notify the government that we are in hell. We are suffering. We have no access to our homes and medical treatments. We are dying in this place called Agba in Ekwulobia. Let government come to our aid. Are we still part of Anambra state? If yes, why are we being treated like slaves? Let them remember that election is still coming and we cannot vote while our back is on ground. With this condition, no politician should enter this environment for campaign or whatever.”
“There is no road; people are carrying corpse in their hands to the mortuary because there is no road to pass. The hospital is long dilapidated with bush everywhere, in fact nothing is working. When you visit the hospital you find out that there is no staff. One nurse has two or three shifts at same time in different departments of the hospital.
“For government to take our land and build non functional institution like this is not acceptable. If the government is not interested in uplifting the hospital then they should give us back our land let us build houses on them, rent it out and generate revenue.”
“Agba people have no one to speak for them that’s why we are speaking for ourselves. In fact, many of the representatives of this community are saboteurs who are only looking for something to fill their pockets. We came out massively to inform the government that we are not happy with state of the general hospital. We want to see this hospital functional. We want to see positive changes in the hospital with enough nurses working here’, he concluded.
Also speaking, Mr.Ezeibe Chigozie said: “I want Governor Willie Obiano to come into these matters because the people of Agba village are suffering. Let him come and see things himself with his own eyes so that he will understand what we are passing through. We have hospital like this, yet people are dying anyhow. There is no road. Even the Doctors and nurses are not close enough to the hospital. Some of them live at Nnewi and Awka, they pack their vehicles at Ekwulobia roundabout and trek to the Hospital.
“It has affected the town badly. Somebody like me during the burial of my father, there was no road to come in, no single road. That is why we are crying, calling on the Governor to come and witness it. He has the commissioners representing him but they are representing their pockets and not the masses. They started building the roads but stopped at Isuofia because the commissioner is from Isuofia and Ekwulobia Agba village in particular was abandoned.”
He however called on government to employ more workers to the general hospital to man the different duties as expected in a general hospital and improve the entire state of the hospital to the standard expected of it.
Speaking to our reporter, another resident and indigene of Agba who gave her name as Mrs. Stella Ezenwankwo said that the road has subjected people of the town to undue suffering and torture. She said even Okada people find it difficult to use the road because it is filled with deep potholes. Her words: ‘Our road is very bad and has been causing us pain. We trek from our various homes to wherever we want to go because okada people have stopped coming to carry us. Except we make it to the Ekwulobia round about, we cannot use any other means of transport except foot.
“I find it extremely difficult to convey my goods to the market because I would have to climb up and down the edge of the road to my street. The edge is too high that if I jump from it I would end up breaking my leg. During rainy season, the road is a no go area except we pull off our foot wares and drag our foot in the mud filled road.”
Another Lagos- based indigene who gave his name as Mr. Richard Olisa decried the gory state of the roads in Ekwulobia and Agba community in particular calling on the Anambra state government to intervene and do the needful if they are sure to still consider the people of Agba part of the state. “Agba do not have road. For over 3 months culvert was built to let people with vehicles enter their streets but the culvert has not been passable because of the height from the road. The deepness of the road is about 3 metre high from culverts and people’s houses while the road itself has been abandoned for reasons unknown.”
“It has been more than 3 years that different contractors have worked on the road but instead of bringing the road to shape they are worsening the situation of the road. None of the contractors have done any tangible work on that road to the extent we do not even know who is in charge again because it has been long abandoned.
“At night the road is always a nightmare because there is no light to evade the dangerous spots and as a result has inflicted degrees of injuries to different persons of Agba town including our visitors. So many people do not even agree to visit us again because their is no means of entering our houses.”
On the part of Nonso Ezeokonwo who is also a resident of Agba in Ekwulobia blamed the incessant death in the village to the bad roads. According to him, “Agba road in Ekwulobia has caused terrible pain to its residents. Some people that have cars in the community cannot drive in with their vehicles because there is no access to their homes.”
“Agba has a general hospital but the only section that is working is the mortuary and it is now filled to the brim because people die on the way to hospitals. Tell me how indigenes can convey their sick wards to the hospital when there is no vehicle to do so. Even when there is vehicle, the roads are bad. Before one could get to hospital the person is dead. Our people suffer and die when we have government that should take care of us.”
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