Asaba: As a matter of urgent public attention, the Delta State House of Assembly has placed a call to the Federal Government to expedite action on the construction and rehabilitation of the Sapele-Eku-Abraka-Agbor to Ewu and the Abraka-Ugo/Evboesi to Benin roads which are currently in deplorable condition.
In a petition signed and sent to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) by the Member representing, Ethiope East Constituency, Hon. Evance Ivwurie, the House stressed the need for the government to initiate the immediate repairs and reconstruction of these roads before the next rainy season to ensure durability and longevity of the roads.
The roads – N30 billion Benin-Abraka Express Road and the dualization of the N112.8 billion 185.7-kilometre Sapele-Agbor-Ewu road in Delta and Edo States, according to the lawmaker were reportedly awarded, mobilized and flagged off by the Federal Government in March 2015.
The petition by Ivwurie which attracted accolades from the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya and the general house stated that as two key arterial roads serving the Port Harcourt-Warri-Sapele-Benin-Lagos interstate road on the west, the Benin- Lagos bye-pass in the centre and the Onitsha-Agbor-Benin-Lagos interstate road on the east, the roads are strategic commerce routes of the districts.
Ivwurie disclosed that the roads were built by the Federal Government in the 1990s as part of a vast network of roads passing through about 206 villages, towns and slums across Ethiope East, Okpe, Sapele, Ukwani, Ndokwa West, Ika South and Ika North-East Local Government Areas (seven local government areas, two senatorial districts and two states).
“The subject roads are the looping ribbons of snaky and straight Federal Government roads that connect my constituency – Ethiope East of Delta State and a greater part of Delta Central Senatorial District to the North and South Senatorial Districts of Delta State and then into Edo State from Abraka through Ugo-Evboesi to Benin.
He lamented that the roads which were intended to transform and connect the districts into efficient villages, towns and cities in Nigeria have unfortunately, today, thrown these communities, districts and states into chaos and conflict as these bad roads have caused hundreds of avoidable deaths, armed robbery attacks, kidnaps, accidents, endless traffic jams and huge inconveniences to the public.
According to Ivwurie, the competitiveness of Delta State in the Nigeria agricultural and other market place activities rely extremely upon the expectations for improved intermodal linkages between the road system and other transportation modes and that economic impacts arising from the repairs and reconstruction of these road linkages will yield significant effects on the overall Nigeria economy, the standard of living of Deltans, and the competitiveness of Nigeria.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that a positive relationship exists between investment in road network/transportation and economic productivity gains. The currently dilapidated state of the subject roads has grossly affected the entire personnel, goods and services, transportation infrastructure in the whole areas, resulting in severe distress for personnel and businesses to receive manpower and inputs to schools and production facilities and to transport finished goods to markets in an efficient manner.”
“This has also affected transportation cost, production cost and reduced productivity and profit. The decrepit roads have also impeded the numerous firms, farms, schools and other businesses currently operating in the areas in their deliveries and transportation architecture.”
Hon. Ivwurie however, recommended that the petition should not be closed without resolution, but should as a matter of fact be escalated until desired result is achieved.
A motion for adjournment was moved by the Majority Leader and Member representing Isoko North Constituency, Hon. Tim Owhefere and seconded by the Member representing Ika North East, Hon. Emeka Elekeokwuri.
The House will resume plenary on Tuesday, October 26, 2016.
