{"id":22251,"date":"2025-10-26T14:30:33","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T13:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=22251"},"modified":"2025-10-26T14:24:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T13:24:19","slug":"stop-blaming-the-rain-uyo-residents-challenge-gov-eno-on-failing-roads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/26\/stop-blaming-the-rain-uyo-residents-challenge-gov-eno-on-failing-roads\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Blaming the Rain: Uyo Residents Challenge Gov Eno on Failing Roads."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UYO, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 Residents of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, have expressed mixed reactions after Governor Umo Eno attributed the city\u2019s worsening road conditions to persistent heavy rainfall, a claim that has sparked debate among citizens, experts, and government officials.

Governor Eno, during an inspection tour of several affected areas, said road maintenance had been delayed deliberately to prevent freshly repaired surfaces from being washed away by continuous downpours. He assured that contractors had been mobilized and would resume work once the rains subside.
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\u201cOur administration is aware of the discomfort caused by the potholes across Uyo. But repairing them now would be wasteful, as the rains will undo the work,\u201d Eno said. \u201cWe have plans in place for a comprehensive rehabilitation once the weather is favorable.\u201d

Reacting to the governor\u2019s remarks, the state\u2019s Ministry of Works defended the government\u2019s decision, insisting that the repairs must be done under optimal weather conditions to ensure durability.

\u201cThe Ministry of Works is not folding its arms,\u201d said Commissioner for Works, Prof. Eno Ibanga. \u201cWe have mapped out critical roads that require urgent attention, and our engineers are ready to move in as soon as the rains stop. Asphalt work during heavy rain is counterproductive.\u201d

However, residents and motorists have criticized the explanation, arguing that poor planning, weak drainage systems, and substandard construction \u2014 not rain \u2014 are to blame for the recurring potholes.

\u201cIt rains every year, yet the roads keep failing,\u201d said Margaret Effiong, a shop owner on Oron Road. \u201cYou can\u2019t keep blaming nature when the real issue is poor drainage and lack of maintenance.\u201d

Commercial drivers lamented the effect of the deteriorating roads on their income and vehicle maintenance. \u201cWe spend so much fixing our cars,\u201d said taxi driver Emmanuel Sunday. \u201cGovernment officials don\u2019t drive these roads daily like we do.\u201d

The Uyo Chamber of Commerce also weighed in, warning that bad roads could deter business investment and slow economic activity. \u201cInfrastructure is the backbone of commerce,\u201d said Chamber President, Iniobong Udoh. \u201cIf logistics are hindered by poor roads, the entire economy suffers.\u201d

Environmental experts urged the government to redesign the city\u2019s drainage network and use more durable road materials suited to the region\u2019s tropical climate. \u201cBlaming the rain is not enough,\u201d said civil engineer David Akpan. \u201cWe need smarter engineering and routine maintenance.\u201d

Opposition politicians have also seized on the issue, accusing the Eno administration of neglecting basic infrastructure despite high budgetary allocations for works and transport.

In response, the Ministry of Environment announced plans to collaborate with the Works Ministry to de-silt major drains and improve water flow around Uyo before the next rainy season.

Governor Eno reiterated his commitment to improving infrastructure, saying road rehabilitation and flood control projects would top the 2025 state budget. \u201cWe are not ignoring the people\u2019s pain,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce the rains stop, our actions will speak for us.\u201d

Still, as heavy rains continue, many residents remain unconvinced, saying they have heard similar promises from past administrations with little lasting change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UYO, Nigeria (FN) \u2014 Residents of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, have expressed mixed reactions after Governor Umo Eno attributed the city\u2019s worsening road conditions to persistent heavy rainfall, a claim that has sparked debate among citizens, experts, and government officials. Governor Eno, during an inspection tour of several affected areas, said road maintenance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Umo-Eno.webp?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22252,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22251\/revisions\/22252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}