By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
Residents of Navy road at Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state have called on the state government to come to their rescue over an abandoned NDDC road project.
The contract for the construction of 7.3m wide access road stretching over 1.8 kilometers linking jetty to Ibaka – Oron road, Akwa Ibom State, allegedly awarded by NDDC in 2013 to Messrs Foul Plant Nigeria Limited but abandoned, had become a source of suffering for the people of the area.
Our correspondent who visited the area yesterday gathered that some part of the road, about 1.8km which is in a deplorable state was abandoned after overlaying bituminous asphalt.
Speaking, a youth leader from Ibaka, Mr Etim Michael said that the contractor abandoned the project in 2018 after a slow pace of work which started in 2013.
“Notably, between 2013 and 2018, the work was abandoned after overlaying about 697.3m of bituminous asphalt from the jetty in Ibaka beach to the main gate of the Naval Base.
“The completion of the Naval Base access road to link Ibaka-Oron access road will not only ameliorate the terrible suffering experienced when plying the road, especially during raining season, but will equally enable the Navy to respond on time in case of security emergency.” Michael said.
The Youth Leader decried that the Navy road close to the base and entire Ibaka community had suffered without electricity for the Past 5 years or thereabout, calling on the Power Holding Company on Nigeria in the area to come to their aid.
He revealed that several efforts to reach, and letters to Governor Umo Eno and his Deputy governor, Sen. Akon Eyakenyi proved abortive.
He also noted that several efforts in the past by youth organisations in the area to draw attention of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to the abandoned project yielded no positive result.
“When we drew the attention of the state government to the poor state of the road, the usual reply has always been that the NDDC will complete it but since 2013, the road has still not been completed.
“The abandoned road project has caused motorists and other communities along the road many years of hardship and further escalated the insecurity been experienced in the community as it slows down the response time of the security agencies particularly the Navy in the event of any security emergency.” Micheal lamented.
A taxi driver, Okokon Emmanuel who plys the road from Oron town to Ibaka called on the state government to urgently rehabilitate the 1.8km road without waiting for NDDC.
Mr Emmanuel also called on the just constituted NDDC Board with Akwa Ibom son, Mr. Victor Antai, as the Executive Director Project to ensure that the contractor is summoned back to site.
“This road is economically very viable to the state, a single individual cannot hold the people of this area to ransom by abandoning a job he gladly collected from NDDC.” Emmanuel said.
He explained that the 1.8km road that used to take just 3 minutes drive from the naval base, now would take you 30 minutes due to the deplorable state of the road.
Another resident, Victor Onwineng, suggested that a law should be made by the National Assembly to check and jail contractors who abandoned projects, describing the act as an economic sabotage.
He lamented over abandoned NDDC projects littering the Niger Delta region and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the ugly situation which he said has impaired development.
Onwineng noted that the abandoned road which leads to the navy base would delay the Nigerian Navy’s swift response in case of security emergencies in the area.
He explained that the completion of the Base access road that links Ibaka–Oron access road would ameliorate the terrible condition experienced by the residents, improve operational response by the navy base and also reduce insecurity in the area.
