Indigenes of Mbieri town, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo resident in Abuja, have appealed to the Federal, state governments and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to provide basic amenities, especially roads in the area.

The President, Mbieri Summit Abuja, Chief Sam Obaji, made the plea at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.

Obaji, who decried the deplorable state of social infrastructure in the area, expressed concern that the situation impacted negatively on the socio-economic well-being of the people.

“One of the reasons for holding this briefing is to make a passionate appeal to the Federal and State Governments, and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and Mbieri indigenes in Diaspora to come to our aid in at least, road infrastructure.

“Erosion menace has destroyed communication and movement between villages in Mbieri.

“Some of the villages have been cut off from others, making it difficult for them to move their agricultural produce to the markets as was the case in the past,’’ he said.

While commending the NDDC and Imo State government for the construction of roads in the state, he appealed to them to extend the project to Mbieri communities.

According to him, NDDC started a road project from Nkwor Orji to Orie Mbieri.

“However, this project has been abandoned after excavation of the old road which made it worse than it was before the excavation.

“We are therefore, appealing to NDDC to kindly complete the project to alleviate the suffering of our people.

“We are also using this opportunity to appreciate the effort the present administration of Sen. Hope Uzodinma is making in road infrastructure in Owerri town and appeal to him to extend it to Mbieri,’’ Obaji said.

He said that since the time of late Dr Sam Mbakwe, the former governor of the state, successive administrations abandoned the roads, educational and health facilities in the town.

According to Obaji, they did not maintain the ones built by Mbakwe administration and did not build new ones, leading to total collapse of social and economic development of the town.

“The consequence of all the above is untold hardship, absence of accessible roads, especially during the rainy season, excruciating hunger and poverty and untimely death that has become rampant.”

Unfortunately, these unfavourable and inhabitable human conditions had increased the crime rate in the town.

“It is for this reason that we are constrained to publicise the degradation of social and infrastructural facilities in the town.

“And we solicit the aid of Federal and State Governments, NDDC and other government agencies to contribute toward building and rebuilding them to improve the well-being of our people,’’ Obaji said. (NAN)