Some commuters at Mbano Camp junction in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers, on Thursday, appealed for the state government’s intervention on the bad roads in the area.

The commuters, who spoke to journalists at Oyigbo, said the Oyigbo to Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway junction was a death trap.

They urged the government and relevant authorities to come to their aid and avert deaths on the roads.

Sunday Ekene, a bus driver from Oyigbo to Mile One Park in Port Harcourt, said he always spends two hours at Mbano junction.

He identified waste of work hours and car depreciation, as well as a high level of fuel consumption, as some of the problems commuters face on the bad road.

Uchechi Nwala, a fruit vendor, said despite the bad state of the roads, trucks and tanker drivers have continued to ply the route, putting other road users at risk.

”Severally, trucks laden with unlatched containers had fallen on this road; thank God there was no loss of life.

”I urge the government to urgently intervene to avert fatal accidents. Those of us who trade by the roadside do so in fear,” Ms Nwala said.

Sydney Uwem, manager at Crunchies Eatery at Mbano Camp junction, said the poor state of the road had contributed to the slow businesses recently confronting shop owners in the area.

“Our businesses are suffering as customers barely patronise us due to regular gridlocks and floods at our entry points.

“This is also a basic eatery spot in Oyigbo; Chicken Republic, Crunchies, Kilimanjaro and the Promise are also located here.

“We plead with the state government under the leadership of retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas to urgently address our plight,” he said.

Some business owners further said they were handicapped since it is unlawful to engage in repairs of critical government infrastructure, like roads.

Efforts to get the comment of the Oyigbo council officials on what was being done to ameliorate the plight of the people proved abortive.

(NAN)