What should have been a catalyst for economic growth and urban development in Rivers State has instead become a symbol of neglect and hardship. The stalled Port Harcourt Ring Road project, once touted as a flagship initiative of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration, now tells a troubling story, one of abandonment, suffering, insecurity, and broken expectations.
Nowhere is this failure more evident than in Rumuokwachi Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. Positioned between Ozuoba and Ogbogoro, the community has effectively been cut off by a stretch of road overtaken by stagnant water.
For over six months, contractors have reportedly vacated the site, leaving behind not progress, but a growing crisis. The consequences are both immediate and far-reaching, economic activities in the area have slowed to a crawl, as customers find it nearly impossible to access shops and businesses.
For residents who depend on daily commerce for survival, this is not merely an inconvenience, it is a direct threat to their livelihoods. A woman who runs a restaurant business in the area name ‘Peruzzi Kitchen’ narrated how she transports foodstuff from the market to her shop.
“I’m a restaurant cook, you can imagine us going to market at Iwofe, Rumuolumeni, coming back and we stop at where they call Rumuokwachi Waterside, and I’ll carry my load, 100kg of, we’ll be looking at how we will carry it to the shop.
“Every day, I’m living on drugs, me and my workers because, body pains, my spinal cord, it has not been easy. Business is not moving, the business is stagnant, customers are not coming from Ogbogoro to buy market, customers are not coming from Uzuoba to buy market, it has not been easy.”
“You cook food and the food will be looking at you. And if it remains like this that means I cannot pay my rent, and I cannot even pay my workers.”
“So, please government should come and do something, this is not how the road was, it could have been better they leave the road for us the way it was before”.
Public health concerns are also mounting as pools of stagnant water have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease-carrying organisms, exposing residents to malaria and other health risks.
According to sources, the environmental decay is further compounded by foul odours, making daily life increasingly unbearable.
“I will need to trek from here to that filling station before I will enter Keke to my house. It is not nice; I don’t like it because sometimes it brings more mosquitoes. Once it is 7 o’clock, I cannot be able to sit here and do my business because of mosquitoes. The water sef is even smelling. So, I don’t like it.”
“The government should come and help us and work the road for us please, we’re begging you because it’s really affecting us,” said a POS operator.
Equally alarming is the security dimension, with roads rendered impassable, residents are forced to trek long distances, often in poorly lit conditions. This has created opportunities for criminal elements to exploit the situation, turning what should be a safe passage into a nightly ordeal of fear and vulnerability.
A resident of the community spoke about the growing rise of criminal activities following the bad state of the road.
“This road is causing serious problem, they are stealing, they are breaking shops. Hoodlums everywhere, even when you are walking on the road, some guys will stop you on the way to collect your phones and all the rest. We’re just living by the grace of God.”
“So, please government, we’re begging you; Wike, we’re begging you, Sim, we’re begging you, Ministry of Works, we’re begging you. You people should come and help us, Rumuokwachi was not like this before”.
The broader implication is a growing sense of disillusionment among citizens, a project meant to enhance connectivity and development is instead deepening frustration and eroding public trust.
When such projects are abandoned, the social contract between government and the governed is called into question. The situation in Rumuokwachi is a stark reminder that abandoned projects do not just waste resources, they disrupt lives.
The Rivers State Government must act with urgency and transparency; temporary measures to drain the flooded areas, improve access, and enhance security should be implemented without delay, even as efforts are made to get contractors back on site.