Eze Phillip Ajomiwe, the traditional ruler of the Ubaha Oriendu Ancient Kingdom in Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, has warned that the bridge connecting Abia with Imo State via the Ubaha Oriendu‑Ihite Uboma corridor may collapse if immediate engineering work is not undertaken. He made the statement after personally inspecting a section of the structure that was severely damaged by September’s relentless rains.
The monarch highlighted that the [Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)](https://www.nddc.gov.ng) has repeatedly failed to act on his earlier alerts about the bridge’s deteriorating condition. He noted that he had written to the commission in previous years, received assurances that the repair would be budgeted, yet saw no tangible action on the ground.
According to Ajomiwe, the bridge serves as a vital economic and social artery for farmers, fishermen and other residents of the agrarian communities on both sides of the river. Its loss, he warned, would impose severe hardship and defeat the purpose of the infrastructure’s original construction.
He appealed directly to the [Abia State Government](https://abia.gov.ng) and other relevant federal agencies, urging them to intervene urgently and provide temporary palliative measures before erosion causes irreversible damage.
“I am appealing to the NDDC to fulfill its promise because what we are seeing here is devastating. If nothing is done, the bridge may totally collapse and our people living on the other side of the river will be cut off,” the traditional ruler said.
In a related incident, the Ngada Bridge that links the Ngada Isuochi community in Umunneochi with neighbouring villages has already collapsed, halting both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Umeh Mathias, the member representing the Umunneochi constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, confirmed the collapse and pledged to address the situation.
The situation underscores growing concerns over neglected infrastructure in the region and the urgent need for coordinated action by both state and federal bodies.