The Governor of Cross River State Sen Bassey Edet Otu, has pleaded with the Niger Delta Development, to take action against the deplorable roads within the region.
Otu who was represented by his deputy Rt. Hon Peter Odey made the plea when the Minister of Niger Delta Development Engr Abubakar Momoh and his entourage visited him in his office in Calabar.
Governor Otu said while welcoming the minister to the state that Cross Riverians have been having this feeling that they have been forgotten by the Niger Delta Development, because according to him, it does appear that everything ends within the other parts of the South South.
He worried about the fact that the roads leading to Ogoja, Katsinala is becoming completely blocked, and that Vehicles and goods cannot move freely on that roads.
He said their roads situation like the one the minister said he had just seen was a tip of an eye bake. In fact, he added that people that have perishable products all their goods were getting bad there because just no road to pass through at all.
The governor’s account of the Calabar-Itu road being the most decayed part of the roads in the region was what he really draw the attention of the minister when he said.
“We have been crying about it for the past seven to eight years it has been like that . In fact what you see today is even better because there were some remedial works that were being done in certain bad areas otherwise you would not be able to come through here.”
“It’s important that you have come here and we know that you are going to do a very good job in our state and for the region.”
Otu who went on to showing in an emotional way that he wants something urgently to be done about the roads said at a point they had begun to wonder if they are still in the Niger Delta region because according to him “we don’t enjoy the benefits of being in the Niger Delta.”
“We will be very happy to collaborate with you like you have said, indeed the people of Cross River State welcome you with Open hands whatever collaboration that you would need be rest assure that it would be given to you from our heart,” he said.
As to the reason why most of the roads in the Niger Delta region are not either constructed nor completed Hon Odey said “is because when contractors get their job, gets the money and they abandoned the jobs and when Governmment changes hands the road that had been awarded in the last administration, would be re-awarded,” noting that there don’t appear to be continuity so most of these roads remain.
“Thank God that it didn’t rain today because if it had the road would have been completely blocked, no amount of security that would open the road for you because when the road is blocked is blocked.”
“Let me on behalf of the Governor of Cross River State Sen Bassey Edet Otu, who would have loved to be here but he’s the chairman of the campaign Committee in Imo State, welcome the Hon Minister for Niger Delta Engr Abubakar Momoh, I thank you and your team for making out time to visit Cross River State.”
“We would suggest that in your executive meeting you please remind the president that the Niger Delta is closer to the people, that understand the burden of the people who go through this road,” he pleaded.
He said If these roads are under the Niger Delta Development they believe that the intervention will be faster, the people will know what to do and they would monitor easily the contractors that are doing these jobs.
He expressed hope when he said, “We pray and hope that your coming on board will be a salvation to us in Cross River State, and the entire region at large.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of the Niger Delta Development Engr Abubakar Momoh said him and his team were in Calabar to see for themselves some of the projects of the ministry of Niger Delta Commission that were undertaking in past years.
He said It was most appropriate for them to go round and see things for themselves selves before they can go back to the office and execute the policies of this administration.
Engr Momoh said has identified the challenges of the Niger Delta region including insecurity, poverty, environmental degradation, and infrastructural decay. He said the four areas needs collaboration between the Commission and the state government.
Momoh’s account of journey to Calabar- according to him has helped him to discover that Generally the roads in Nigeria are not in a good shape and for him the greatest challenge that we have in the Niger Delta region is the East-West road.
“The road started from Warry to Eket, but it appears from Warry to Benin and Uyo to Calabar were not captured in the East-West roads,” he said.
“Our message to governors is that we should try as much as possible to collaborate because it is only through collaboration and partnership that the scarce resources that we have can be applied to achieve something reasonable.”
He assured the people that he has no doubt in mind that by the time they begin to push in the reports as to what is happening in the various region definitely president Tinubu will listen to them and something will be done in a very short time.