Toxic Dust On Orlu-Owerri Road

 By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye

Recently, I visited Imo State and was on the Orlu-Owerri road. It is heartwarming that the road is being rehabilitated because in August when I used it on my way to a wedding, it was in such a dilapidated state.  

But, sadly, the insensitivity of the firm handling the reconstruction work is turning what is otherwise a laudable project into a traumatic experience for the people. The dust that envelopes that road all day is so thick that even though most vehicles switch on their headlights on bright afternoons, it is still very difficult for drivers to see oncoming vehicles just a few meters away.

*Gov Uzodinma flags off the reconstruction of Orlu-Owerri Road

And because of this thick cloud of dust, the motorists practically “drive blind”. One wonders what it is usually like driving at night when the dust and darkness merge to compound the situation. I shudder to imagine the implications of this.  

But this is not even the really scary part of the story.

On both sides of that road are many residential houses and stores where people stay all day and inhale the thick dust.  When you observe the new colour the houses have generously received, you will now appreciate the kind of toxic dust many of the people are inhaling all day, and what this might portend to their health soon.

People refer to it as “cement dust.” I guess this is because of the materials that have been sprayed on the road as part of the construction process which has now perfectly mixed with the natural dust to target the lungs of the hapless people residing in the area.

A report in Umuaka Times, an online newspaper, claims that due to the “cement or asbestos” substance contained in the materials sprayed on that road, those who inhale the dust are likely to contract “a strain of cancer known as asbestosis.” 

A google search describes asbestosis as “a lung disease resulting from the inhalation of asbestos particles, marked by severe fibrosis and a high risk of mesothelioma (cancer of the pleura)”. 

On its website, Craneburg Construction Company boasts that it built its   “reputation on being the most responsive, client focused partner in the industry…” Now, where is the responsiveness and customer-friendly disposition? Can Craneburg allow this kind of toxic dust to torment and endanger the health of hapless people in another country without facing countless litigation? 

Why does it not ensure it sprays water on the road regularly to control the menace of the dust? Why would the state government sit by and allow a looming epidemic hang over the people like the Damoclean Sword? 

Yes, a good road is a commendable development but people must be healthy to enjoy it. 

Along the road, I saw people who had set up tables to sell several edible items and different materials to earn their daily living. These and their wares are continuously decorated with this toxic dust just because a construction company and the government that engaged it have chosen to be callous. 

And what is the implication of this to the health of those who purchase those items? Is this really the experience of all those who reside along roads that are under construction in Nigeria? 

At Afor Umuaka which is the biggest market along that road, only an insignificant number of sellers and buyers wore nose masks. But the traders must come to the market daily to sell in order to be able to feed their families in this punitive economy. 

On November 30, 2020, when Governor Hope Uzodinma flagged off the construction of the Orlu-Owerri road, he explained that although Julius Berger was once considered for the job, Craneberg was eventually chosen because the government “followed the procurement act.”    

He declared: “Craneburg, I tell you, is even better; they will give us quality roads and get it delivered on a good time… they will work day and night to give us exactly what we want. These roads are important to our people”

Wonderful testimony! But where is their consideration for the health of the people, which include school children who follow that road to school and those whose schools are located along that road?

Please, something must urgently be done to avert the looming epidemic this toxic dust might usher in.

May I sign off by asking Governor Hope Uzodinma why he demolished the roundabouts at the Nworubi and Umuaka junctions on this same Orlu-Owerri road constructed by his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha?

Now, let me make it clear that I have learnt to avoid like a plague any “war” between two or more politicians, because they are mostly self-serving; the welfare of the people usually has nothing to do with it.

Also, any day they discover that their personal interests would once again be served by their becoming friends again, you will see them enjoying each other’s company, after hurriedly jettisoning their bitter differences.

So, I am not interested in the sordid drama presently raging between Uzodinma and Okorocha in Imo State.

But the demolition of the roundabouts is in very bad taste and a monumental waste of state funds. From what I have heard from people, it has further depleted Uzodinma’s acceptance among the people.

Apart from the aesthetic value of those roundabouts, they served as speed-breakers which have eliminated the accidents that used to be witnessed at those spots, especially, at Umuaka where heavy traffic is usually witnessed due to the large Afor Umuaka market, and which gets even more complicated during festive seasons.

But the roundabout came as a big relief. It also added delicious beauty to the area. So, what reason can the governor possibly give for demolishing the roundabouts?

It was like when the governor reportedly demolished a hospital built by Okorocha and announced that he will construct a market in its place. How exactly does this make sense to anyone? Is this not an example of chopping off the nose to spite the face?

Gov Uzodinma should just go and restore those roundabouts and the traffic lights! The long suffering people should not be punished and exposed to avoidable danger just because of his pointless and wasteful ego war with Okorocha.

Those structures gave the residents of the area immense joy each time they   beheld the beauty they added to their communities, plus the traffic problems they helped to contain and the accidents they reduced.

*Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye is a journalist and public affairs analyst. His book, “Nigeria:Why Looting May Not Stop” is available on Amazon.com; (scruples2006@yahoo.com)   

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*First published in Daily Independent, Friday, 28 January 2022

*An abridged version appeared in The Nation, Thurs, 27 Jan. 2022, p.14