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The House of Representatives have ordered for an investigation into the abandonment of the Orlu-Mgbe-Umuchima- Akokwa road, barely one year after Former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit (RITC) to help Imo State Government and Oil companies operating in the State to Execute the Road which after flagoff have been abandoned by the Imo State Government leading to destruction and death in Umuchima Mgbe axis of the road.
The House of Representatives resolved today that the Committee on Public Petition will be probing into the role of Oil Companies and the Imo State government in the abandoned road project which have made living in Ideato difficult.
This followed a petition from Ideato Elders and Leaders of Thought which was presented today on the floor of the House of Representatives by the Member Representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, Imo State Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu unbehalf of the Forum demanding for an inquiry into why work on the road never commenced and the project abandoned altogether.
It should be noted that in October 2017, former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the RITC scheme which was designed to secure private sector involvement in the provision of road infrastructure across Nigeria.
According to the petition, among the more than 44 roads that were contemplated within the scheme for repairs and reconstruction, is the 22km Orlu-Mgbe-Akokwa federal road that runs through Ideato North and Ideato South Federal Constituency.
The petition further noted that under the scheme, the Imo State government and oil companies entered into a partnership agreement for the repair and rehabilitation of the said road in exchange for billions of tax money the Federal govt waived for them.
The community leaders regretted that after a year of the flag-off of the project, there have no work carried out on the road so far and the people of Ideato are suffering a total cut-off from other parts of the state and country as a result of the poor state of the road.
The situation has further led to the enlargement of the rampaging erosion in the area resulting in the washing away of homes, landed properties and forcing locals to flee their homes for fear of their lives.
Following the submission of the petition, the House has resolved to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged abandonment of the road inspite of the approval of the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit by the former President and ensure recovery of any tax revenue that must have been withheld over the road which was never constructed.
