George-Kelly: How Rivers Roads now serve As BUA Trailer Parks
● We’ll no longer tolerate damages on our roads, RSG warns
By Elem Kash, PHC Telegraph
Dr. George-Kelly Alabo, Commissioner for Works explaining the damages done by the trucks on the shoulders of the roads
Government says it will no longer tolerate the indiscriminate parking of trucks owned by the BUA Group on Rivers roads.
To this end, the State Government has warned that it will take steps to prevent further damage to its roads infrastructure by the company.
The Rivers Commissioner for Works, George-Kelly Dakorinama Alabo who was accompanied by his Agric counterpart, Jacobson Nbina on a tour of areas where the company operates said in Port Harcourt that BUA is recklessly turning roads in the State trailer parks.
The action of the company, the Works Commissioner remarked while briefing newsmen, is resulting in the excessive damage of roads within and outside the State capital built-in to ease the free movement of people as well as goods and services.
Alabo noted thaf the State government spends billions of naira yearly to provide critical road infrastructure.
But he frowned that the Bua Group, a company which adds no value in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility is willfully helping to damage existing roads through its operations.
He told newsmen that the trucks have persistently parked by State roads, most of the time occupying more than a three-Kilometre stretch in total disregard to the existence of extant laws that prohibit such acts.
“it is public knowledge that Rivers State government spends billions of naira every year, labour very hard to provide critical infrastructure to our people.
“This BUA Group has been so reckless, the drivers of BUA Group have been so irresponsible that they have converted our major roads as parks”, George-Kelly stated.
Damaged sections of the roads by the trucks
Although he did not disclose what government will do BUA continues to flout extant laws, his counter in the Ministry of Agriculture, Jacobson Nbina hinted that this would not be the first time that the Rivers State Government would complain about the attitude of the firm.
Nbina recalled that in February 2023, BUA Group was invited to a meeting with the Secretary to the State Government, the Ministries of Transport and Urban Development.
He also recalled that a commitment which said Bua will cease to use public roads in the State as parks was extracted.
It is shocking, he observed, that the firm not only reneged on the agreement, it has continued to mindlessly do damage to roads with its heavy duty trucks.
Newsmen had the opportunity of obtaining first-hand knowledge of the destructive consequences of BUA’s action through an on-the-spot assessment.
Some of the roads visited included the Azikiwe Road in the Port Harcourt Local Government Area where the BUA Sugar Refinery is located.
Also visited were the Igwuruta and Igwurutali communities in Ikwerre Local Government Area where BUA has its off factory operational base and Diesel yard.
Badly damaged portions of the road at Igwurutali
The Port Harcourt Telegraph understands that serious damages have been done to the surfaced lanes, more especially the entire shoulders of the roads.
Incidentally, the Igwuruta road is one major route that takes traffic to the International Airport and other states.
But BUA which has damaged bothsides of the dualised road which connects Rivers to Imo State continues to act like a state within a State.