How bad are these roads???

FUTO STUDENTS CRY OUT OVER BAD ROADS!

In the heart of Africa, a country of contrast, the Eastern heartland, heart-warming technology, rich culture, renowned art, abundant natural resources, feel the unity, feel the affection, feel the peace, welcome to IMO state, to a university of technology and the uniqueness of its students. The 8^th best higher institution nationwide with a population of about 21,000 students of diverse color, culture and background.

These undergraduates now take FUTO to be their second home since they spend almost a year in school for an academic year. Some of them reside in the school-provided hostels, while a majority of them lodge off-campus. In FUTO, our host communities include: Ihiagwa, Eziobodo and Umuchima villages. Transporting ourselves to school every morning from our various lodges is an added financial burden. But right now, regarding it as a financial burden is an under-statement. We are now faced with the challenge of paying double the amount we were formerly paying, getting soiled before we get to school, having to beg the bykemen to go our way or follow our route, being attacked on lonely track roads by hoodlums during late evenings, “travelling” to Owerri town for about an hour against the conventional 20 minutes to get to town.

The deplorable state of our FUTO roads is quite a pitiable one. Its mere sight is an eyesore. Before now, everyone was plying our motorable FUTO roads- students, lecturers, villagers, non-indigene inhabitants, visitors, passers-by, non-academic staff, the university’s vice-chancellor, his entourage, other senate colleagues and still many others. Everything was okay because the roads were still motorable and manageable. We sang a different song altogether even before the rains came this year, precisely during our first academic semester of year 2013. All hands were crossed, awaiting the rehabilitation of the deteriorating roads not knowing that we were wasting our precious time. All we saw were mounds of red mud that made the roads sticky and worse. After the break in-between the two semesters, students came back to school for the final lap of the 2013 academic year, with high hopes that the roads must have been worked on. To our greatest surprise, the reverse was the case. Infact, they were worse than before. It got to a point that we were now making use of long lonely track roads to and fro school. Hell was let loose as students had so many challenges to contend with: exhorbitant byke fares, getting soiled while on byke and having the extra stress of going back home to change, lengthened time/duration on the road, missing the first part of their lectures every day, trekking and sweating to school each morning for those who cannot afford the exhorbitant fares. These bad roads have not only affected students, but also lecturers, workers and people with automobiles. Instead of plying the shorter back-gate route which has spoilt “beyond repair”, they now ply the school’s front/main gate which is farther and comparable to travelling round and round to get to the same point. This makes them make extra expenses in the purchase of fuel and gas. Naturally, as the pressure increases on a particular road, its value starts depreciating drastically. As expected, we have started seeing pot holes on this one and only remaining all-purpose half-alive route to and fro school. Why won’t there be, when heavy tippers and lorries carrying building materials race on the road every now and then?

FUTO students are one set of students who are overly anxious about their academics no matter what. FUTO is one of the best Nigerian tertiary institutions which give your child/ward the very best educational and personal traits for life after school. We are peaceful, sensible, wise, well-brought up youths, who do not believe in engaging in riots and destructive demonstrations in order to right a wrong. We are calm in all situations, praying to God and wishing earnestly that something is done to rehabilitate our FUTO roads. Through this means, therefore, I plead with our able vice-chancellor, Prof.Cyril Chigozie Asiabaka; the Federal Government; the Imo State and well-meaning citizens/individuals to come to our rescue. FUTO roads must be better! 

(culled from the Vanguard Newspaper of Thursday, November 14, 2013)

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