The village of Ugwuakuma, Arochukwu, has been bubbling with economic and social blitz since the return of Beks Kimse Nig. Ltd. to begin work on the Arochukwu-Ohafia federal road the company had abandoned more than one year ago.

A visit to the village revealed that since the workers of the coy came to begin the reconstruction work on the road, economic activities have had a boost across the village as the ‘beer parlours’ there have been having large patronage as these road workers resort to them every evening ‘to refresh’ and ease off tension; so some of them even go ahead to buy off the ‘bush meat’ in these beer parlours .

A respondent, Mrs Patricia Nwokoji Nwankwo, who had spoken to the reporter in the absence of the husband during a visit to the village, confirmed that ‘Since the Beks company workers returned about three weeks ago, we have been experiencing more patronage in sales. We are happy.’

Yet another respondent, Miss Chinasa Okoronkwo Ogbonnaya, a sales girl in another beer parlour, agreed that there had been a boost in the economic and social life in Ugwuakuma village since the return of the Beks company workers, as all the joints in the village had been experiencing more sales through more patronage.

Another woman, Madam Grace, who sold groundnuts and similar items, was also quick to agree that she had a boost in the way she sold her wares. ‘They buy more groundnuts now. I now “fry” groundnuts two times a day as against once formally. People now demand and buy more groundnuts than before. I am happy.’

However, by the time Aro News visited the village, one of the caterpillars owned by the company had rammed into a house along the main road and destroyed a part of the building completely. As the reporter was speaking to some respondents, sympathizers and some of the coy workers were at the site discussing the accident.