The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Anambra State Branch, has appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to urgently reconstruct the collapsed Ukpor Bridge leading to St. Paul Seminary, Ukpor, in Nnewi South Local Government Area, warning that the failed infrastructure has continued to inflict severe hardship on residents and road users.
In a letter addressed to the governor and signed by the Chairman of the organisation, Evangelist Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme (AMBP-UN), the CLO described the condition of the bridge as a major challenge affecting students, staff and parents of St. Paul Seminary, as well as members of the Ukpor community and neighbouring areas.
According to the organisation, the collapse of the bridge has forced commuters to rely on longer and more hazardous alternative routes, resulting in increased transportation costs, extended travel time, frequent vehicle damage and heightened security concerns.
The group noted that seminarians, staff and visitors to the institution now face significant difficulties in accessing the seminary, while parents visiting their children are burdened by rising travel expenses.
The CLO described St. Paul Seminary as one of Anambra State’s foremost institutions for academic and spiritual formation, stressing that the continued neglect of the bridge has adversely affected educational activities, religious engagements and economic life within the community.
The organisation urged Governor Soludo to order the immediate assessment, approval and reconstruction of the bridge in line with his administration’s infrastructure development agenda.
It expressed confidence that swift government intervention would ease the suffering of residents, improve access to the seminary, restore public confidence and stimulate socio-economic activities in Ukpor and adjoining communities.
The CLO further stated that the reconstruction of the bridge would be appreciated by the Proprietor of the Seminary, the Catholic Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Most Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye, as well as the institution’s management, students, parents and the wider Ukpor community.
The organisation appealed to the state government to treat the project as a matter of urgency, describing the bridge as critical infrastructure essential to education, worship and community development.
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