Ex-President Jonathan’s clan’s monarch laments abandoned road projects in domain
.....Says, ‘Oil producing Communities are adversely affected economically’
Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa
Disturbed by the plethora of abandoned road projects and the absence of befitting roads in his domain, the traditional ruler of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s clan, the Obanobhan of Ogbia kingdom, His Eminence King Dumaro Charles Owaba, has called on the federal and state governments as well as the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) to look into the situation.
In a chat with journalists, in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, at the Weekend, the monarch decried the spate of abandoned road projects in his kingdom.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government and the Bayelsa State Governments as well as the NDDC to continue as well as rearward and complete projects of all roads contracts abandoned in the kingdom.
The monarch also said that the many abandoned projects in his domain has adversely affected his subjects economically and socially as the negative effects of abandoned infrastructural projects in the communities and on the people of the kingdom are conspicuous
Citing an instance, King Owaba claimed that in 2015, the NDDC awarded an eight kilometres road expected to link Otakeme-Otabi-Otuogidi communities of the kingdom,but abandoned it after making budgetary approvals to a certain undisclosed amount for the project.
Said he, “In Ogbia kingdom today, there’s no single motorable road. The road from Edepie-Yenagoa-Ogbia is in complete state of disrepair,the one linking Onuebum and Otuoke communities has been badly damaged, and therefore has become a death trap, especially with the floods coming,
“As a people, we are very well abreast with what’s happening in our domain. The road which was supposed to link Otabi from Otakeme community through Otuogidi, co-host community of the Otabagi (Oloibiri oil wells) was awarded by the NDDC in 2015,monies were appropriated for it, but after the release of the first and second tranches of the funds for it, the ghost contractor ran out of site and all efforts to know the identity of the said contractor has been abortive.
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“It’s even worse for the Anyama clan of Ogbia kingdom. There, it is completely
inaccessible by road. But I was informed the immediate past governor of the state, Seriake Dickson, awarded the contract for the construction of the road to that part of my kingdom.
He, however, commended the Bayelsa State Government for the completion of the Imiringi Bridge and the subsequent award of the Elebele bridge in the Emeyal clan of the kingdom. He noted that the job be done thoroughly and finished on time.
“The Elebele Bridge links all the Local governments in the state’s Eastern Senatorial zone”, he informed .
On the almost completed Otueke- Kolo Expressway being handled by SUKUK, the monarch applauded the contractor of the Federal Government owned Bayelsa palm-Otuoke-Kolo road for doing a good job,insisting that when completed, it would ameliorate some of the burden occasioned by the comatose state of roads in the kingdom.
“This Otuoke-Ewoi-Otuabula-Abobiri-Ogbia town road was awarded many years ago by the Bayelsa state government.
“I was told the government released part of the funds for this gigantic project, but again the said contractor pulled out of site for no obvious reasons and successive administrations have continued to abandoned that project.
“So, it’s with the Opume-Okoroba road awarded by the Federal government and others,such as the Idema road,the Otuegila-Amorokeni and the Otuoba-Akoloman-Otabi roads”, the monarch added.
King Owaba also recalled that following the plethora of abandoned NNDC projects dotting every nooks and crannies of the state and due to outcry from stakeholders, the then Dickson -led administration set up a committee headed by a former commissioner for Works, Engr. Charles Ambaowei to verify all abandoned projects.
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“But unfortunately the committee’s report for eight years did not see the light of the day, ostensibly to shield highly placed personalities who were awarded shore protection, road, sand filling contracts as political patronage without execution, after collecting mobilisation fees.
“However, as we speak there’s no meaningful work done there”.
The monarch who condemned the slow paced and incomplete Okaki-Kolo-Nembe federal road project, called on the Federal government and its relevant agencies to prevail on the contractor to come back to site completing it.
According to him, another well-conceived, but abandoned road by the Bayelsa State Government in Ogbia Kingdom is the Otuoke-Ewoi-Otuabula-Abobiri-Ogbia town road.
