The Senate, on Wednesday, urged the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, (FERMA), to undertake an immediate engineering inspection of the collapsed old bridge and all failed sections of the Onitsha-Owerri Road, including Okija section.
The Senate also mandated its Committee on Works to oversee all intervention activities concerning the Okija Spur Road, the collapsed Old Bridge, and the completion works on the new bridge.
The legislative Chamber made these resolutions following the consideration of a motion on “Need for the rehabilitation of Onitsha-Owerri, Okija Spur- Ihembosi- Ukpor- Ebenator- Ezinifite Road” sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Nwachukwu (APGA, Anambra South).
Presenting the motion, Senator Nwachukwu said that the Okija Spur- Okija through Afor Ukpor to Ebenator and Ezinifite Road remains one of the most critical intra-regional corridors in Anambra South Senatorial District, enabling commerce, agriculture, education, health care access and other socio-economic activities across multiple communities.
He noted that the old bridge along the road collapsed on March 5, 2025, “completely shutting down movement, endangering lives and severely disrupting economic and social connectivity across the affected communities.”
According to him, “the new bridge over the Ulasi Stream, which has been under construction for over a decade, is only about 70% completed, with pillars erected and deck components fabricated, but not installed, leaving the structure non-operational and the corridor effectively impassable.”
Senator Nwachukwu expressed concern that the collapsed old bridge, combined with the incomplete statutes of the new bridge and deteriorated condition of several portions of the Okija Spur Road, particularly between Ukpor and Ebenator, has heightened safety risk, increased transportation costs, and compounded hardship for the people.
The Senator, therefore, observed that the urgent completion of the new bridge and immediate intervention on the collapsed old bridge represent the most critical step required to restore movement pending full rehabilitation of the remaining bad portions of the road.
Nwachukwu emphasized that immediate federal intervention was necessary to stabilize the corridor, restore access, support local livelihoods and prevent further deterioration.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, directed the Committee on Works to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Works and FERMA so as to ensure that the project was completed on time for safety against the activities of kidnappers and bandits.
