Photo Credit: Photo as used by The Sun Newspaper / Isaac Job
Collapsed Wooden Bridge Cuts Off Two Communities in Akwa Ibom
A wooden bridge linking Ikot Obong Akan in OrukAnam Local Government Area and Ikot Akpabong in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State has collapsed, disconnecting the two council areas and several neighbouring communities.
Speaking with our correspondent, a youth leader in the area, Etimbuk Udoh, said the collapse has severed economic ties between the two LGAs and disrupted transportation, farming and trading activities.
He explained that residents and traders who depend on Etim Market, popularly known as Urua Akpudo, for their livelihood are now stranded.
According to him, the bridge was constructed through communal effort with wood to enable market women and other road users cross the river for their daily economic activities.
“Now that the bridge has collapsed, the two local government areas have been cut off. We would depend on local boats to cross the river, which may not be safe for local transportation,” Udoh said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of OrukAnam Local Government Area, Sunday Festus and the member representing OrukAnam State Constituency, Sampson Bernard Idiong, have visited the scene and assured residents of government intervention.
The duo, who were paddled across the river in a local canoe, said they would table the concerns of the communities before the appropriate authorities for urgent action.
Idiong, while addressing community leaders and residents at the palace of the village head, Chief Friday Akpan, said it was important to visit without delay to have first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing the people.
“We would immediately engage the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that the matter receives the urgent attention that it deserves,” he assured.
Source: The Sun Newspaper –