Traders in Akwa Ibom State who utilize the Calabar-Itu Road have accused Nsik Engineering Construction Company Ltd., an indigenous firm in the State, of foot-dragging over the delivery of the drainage work on the road.

The traders plying the road to Cross River State to buy food items have lamented that the delay on the project which it started in May this year, has brought about fare hike, adversely affecting their businesses.

Recall that in May this year, the Akwa Ibom State Government, through the Ministry of Works and Fire Service, issued a statement, announcing the closure of the Calabar-Itu Road, to allow for ease in the construction of the drainage channel expected to end the perennial flooding menace along Ikot Ekpene Road and the adjoining streets.

Speaking to our correspondent who visited Itam Market near the construction site on Wednesday, Eno Edet, a trader who ply the road to, and from Cross River State where some food items consumed in the state are brought from.

She said since the road was closed for vehicular movement, cost of transportation had increased, as transporters now use alternative routes to navigate to the market.

She said following the development, many traders had been forced out of business, while the remains were going through a lot of challenges to stay afloat.

According to Mrs. Edet, ” we the traders using that road are suffering a lot. We now pay higher than we used to pay, because drivers are telling us that the village roads the use to take our goods to the market do spoil their vehicles. And this has put a lot of people out of business.

” For me, I blame the company for cutting off the highway more than two months ago and not doing the work as fast as possible to give us access again”. I’m not happy at all. I’m just doing this business without profits”.

Another trader, Ubong Udoh, who sells garri in the market, berated the construction company for what he described as incompetency which he said was responsible for the delay.

Mr. Udoh dislocated that the foot-dragging by the company had not ugured well for most businesses that depend on the use of the road, as their drivers often attributed the fare hike to the bad village routes they ply.

The traders however urged the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno to compel Nsik Engineering Company Ltd. to deliver the job as soon as possible.

They said allowing the company work at its own pace as it is currently doing might take the whole of the remaining part of this year before the project is delivered.

However, efforts made to speak with the management of the company to ascertain when the project will be completed were unsuccessful, as the staff of the company our correspondent met at the site declined comments.