The closed portion of Enugu- Onitsha, Awka axis road dual carriage way in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra has been temporarily open to the public to ease gridlock during the festival period.
Dr Reginald Facah, Coordinator, MTN Community Liaison Initiative Model announced this in a conference jointly held by FRSC in Awka.
He said that the concept was simply a go-between two or more persons, groups and institutions with an intension at ensuring that mutual benefits, fairness, justice and a joint sense of ownership infuse the relationship.
Facah said that it was a concept more deployed by oil companies in the Niger Delta region but MTN brought it to play in the rehabilitation of Enugu-Onitsha dual carriageway to zero fatality in the country.
He explained that the model wants to ensure that peoples and communities along the project corridor as well as critical stakeholders get a feeling of inclusiveness and ownership during and after the course of the projects in their vicinity.
Facah disclosed that MTN community liaison initiative model began late October 2023 when MTN Nigeria Communication PLC appointed Crown Crest Global Engineers Ltd (CCGE)as the consultants of the RITC project which involves the repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the 107km x 2 Onitsha –Enugu dual carriageway.
“This particular CLI is a baby of MTN communication Nigeria Ltd and its major functions is to assess the impact of the road rehabilitation exercise on the people and communities along the work corridor
“This also see how the experience garnered can be mutually beneficial to all the stakeholders involved and affected by the road rehabilitation work, CLI team will constantly interface with both stakeholders and project implementation team,” he said.
He further said that when people realised that MTN are the promoters and sole financier of the dual carriageway project it was a breath of fresh air and a sharp departure from the past.
Facah said that MTN conceptualised its CLI in key seven areas of community liaison and social responsibility which includes, employment, crisis management and security, educationliasion,guidance and referral ,information and resource management, welcoming and orientation, community liaison and event planning.
“Today MTN temporarily open a partial completed section of the dual carriageway not because the entire road is done but because MTN has brought the human face to bear in her social responsibility.
“December and Christmas season have seen unimaginable suffering on the parts of commuters and drivers on this road,many south easterners do not bother to come home because of the deplorable roads that increased security challenges of the zone,”he said.
He said that the theme of the conference is “safe drive fuller life” and that the project is costing MTN billions of naira though they are happy to make people smile in this capacity.
Speaking, Mrs Patricia Igwebuike, Anambra state Commissioner for Transport said that the state government was leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that residents were given the best of everything including assess roads.
She thanked MTN and the Federal Government for the development even as she advised commuters to use the roads carefully and wisely to avoid regrets..
Also Speaking, the Anambra State Sector Commander , Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi said that the partly completed portion recorded highest number of crashes between 2021 and 2022 due to poor road network.
He expressed confidence that with the opening of the road , crashes and traffic jam would be reduced.
Irelewuyi explained that currently the command having flagged off operation zero tolerance, they have deployed one thousand personnel to strategic places as well as equipment across the state and is working with every state holder to ensure safety on state roads.
Mr Ifeanyi Okoma, Commissioner for Works in Anambra State said that the present administration in the state under Governor Chukwuma Soludo made it a point of duty to make Anambra a livable and prosperous state.
Okoma said to achieve this , he has awarded about four hundred kilometers of roads, with two hundred and fifty kilometers completed, assuring that the ministry of Works will partner every stakeholder in the business of ensuring crash and traffic free road.
He was represented by Mr Ifeanyichukwu Okoye, Director Maintenance ,Anambra state Ministry of Works.
Mr Emmanuel Okereke, the Senior Manager Sales MTN NIG, said that MTN is excited to partner the federal government in providing road infrastructure especially the Enugu -Onitsha express road.
Okereke said that carriageway has a direct impact on the people, encouraging all resident to take the project as their own by providing necessary support as they have been doing assured that the road will be competed as scheduled.
Mr Oladapo Feyisita, a representative of Ove Arup and Partners , project Management consultant said they were on ground to ensure that the agreed quality is delivered on scheduled, commending MTN NIG for the partnership.
The occasion witnessed the official handover of road safety kits to the Federal Roads Safety Corps and opening of the road to traffic by the officials of MTN NIG.
