….Demands additional bridge
The Ogoni Youth Federation (OYF) has expressed displeasure over it views as the Federal Government’s neglect of the Ogoni axis (Onne to Eleme junction) of the East-West Road which was awarded since 2014.
President-General of OYF, Comrade Legborsi Yamaabana while speaking during the visit of the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Tayo Alasoadura recounted how easy it was for the Federal Government to review upward the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road, which was initially awarded at the sum of One Hundred and Fifty Five Billion Naira (155,000,000,000.00) to a staggering sum of Seven Hundred and Ninety Seven Billion, Two Hundred Million Naira (797,2000,000,000.00) while the Ogoni road was left to further deteriorate, questioning the rationale behind the action of the government.
The Niger Delta youth leader said the Federal Government has taken the Ogoni people and people of Niger Delta for granted to an unbearable point where the youths can no longer fold their arms and watch.
“ The Niger Delta region provides the sustainable resources of this country with which the government use in developing other parts and regions of the country” he stated.
He noted that, “it is worrisome and malevolent for the Federal Government to abandon the Ogoni axis of the East West road, a road situated in the epi-centre of Nigerian oil and gas industry and linking the Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals, 2 Port Harcourt Refineries, Notore Fertilizer Company, two sea ports and over 270 oil and gas companies in the Onne Oil & Gas Free Trade Zone and pay attention to roads in parts of the country that gives nothing to the coffers of the government.
Yamaabana who doubles as the President of Rivers State Ethnic Youth Leaders Coalition (RSEYLC) also vowed that Ogoni youths will paralyze economic activities around the East-West road if the Akpajo additional bridge earlier promised by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio is not included.
He said, “We have been boxed to the corner and toiled with a lot. Let us make it very clear that if the additional bridge earlier promised by Senior Minister, Godswill Akpabio when he visited the road in September, 2020 is not included in your design, work will not continue. We will vehemently resist every planned attempt to continue sidelining and cheating our region whilst we suffer from the hazardous effects of oil and gas activities.”
He however, commended the contractor handling the road, Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) for emergency works they usually carry out on the road and for their cordial relationship with the Ogoni people despite not being on site for several years.
