Relief, economic lifeline as FG, Imo complete 31km road, bridge project linking Anambra 

For years, motorists and commuters heading from Orlu in Imo State toward communities in neighbouring Anambra had no choice but to turn back or navigate dangerous detours after a massive gully erosion swallowed part of the Orlu–Mgbee–Akokwa–Uga road.

Today, concrete pillars rise where the earth once collapsed, carrying a bridge that Imo state officials said will restore a vital commercial route linking two southeastern states and reconnect communities that had been effectively cut off for a very long time.

The bridge which is now providing relief to communities in both Imo and Anambra is part of the reconstruction of a 31-kilometre federal road. Beyond easing travel, the project is expected to revive commerce, reduce transport costs and reconnect farmers, traders and businesses whose livelihoods were disrupted when erosion severed the corridor.

Imo faces severe gully erosion with over 300 sites documented across its local government areas. The ecological condition which has worsened over the years has led to the loss of lives and property. 

Speaking when the Imo government recently hosted a presidential media delegation, Declan Emelumba, Imo information commissioner, said the road is “very important and strategic.”

“The road is along Akokwa-Uga. Uga is in Anambra. So it links the two states. This is a very commercial hub of the state. By constructing this road, commerce will flow, and goods and services will flow easily,” Emelumba said.

“If you had come here two, three, four years ago, there’s no way you could have been coming because the road was cut into two by the gully erosion.”

“For more than eight years, this place…there was nothing we could do except to manoeuvre. It takes a lot of courage, vision and determination for anybody, any government to fix what the governor of the state is doing. 

“This place, I’m sure if the contractors will tell you, has gulped a lot of money, a lot of money. But the governor said he was determined, even though it’s a federal road, he is an APC governor and an APC compliant governor for that matter.”

During an inspection of the project, Sunday Dare, presidential media aide, noted the “massive reclamation, the diversion of the river and the concrete bridge that is built.”

“The entire Imo side was completely cut off from Anambra. Now what we are seeing is 80% completion of a 31-kilometre stretch road that will have massive economic implications for this southeast region,” Dare said.

The Imo government has also transformed the state’s teaching hospital and ensured that its accreditation was restored after many students who had graduated were left stranded.

Victor Samson, Executive Assistant to the chief medical director (CMD) of the hospital, said the institution has recorded “massive changes. Very noticeable changes.”

“Right now, as I’m talking to you, we have engaged very relevant consultants who are now coming back to serve the institution. Let me not forget to mention that the governor has built a heart transplant facility in the hospital,” Samson said.

“The governor has also attracted an infectious disease centre… The infectious disease centre is a 200-bed facility. It’s a very massive project.

“We have done over 4,000 free surgeries and interventions since the governor came in. Just last December, I think we did nothing less than 400 thyroidectomy surgeries.”

For residents, the changes undertaken by the Imo government are becoming tangible. The bridge is restoring a long-broken transport link between Imo and Anambra, while the teaching hospital is seeking to rebuild its role as a centre for specialist care and medical training in the southeast geo-political zone.

Together, they reflect how infrastructure and healthcare investments can reshape everyday life by not only making it easier to travel but also by bringing essential services closer to the communities that rely on them.