The Deplorable East-West Road: Another Sad Story Of Niger Delta Neglect

By

Sokore Collins Erebi

sokorecollins@yahoo.com

 

 

The East-West road as the name implies, connects the East and the West of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a 250Km single carriage federal highway that runs from Effurun-Warri in Delta state, traversing communities in Bayelsa state and terminates at the Aba-Port Harcourt expressway in Rivers State.

 

The importance of the road to these Niger Delta states nay Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized. With net oil and gas production of 1.5 million barrels per day and giant reserves buried in the three states, it is certain that 90% of the nation’s revenue shall always come from these three states making it the most viable region in Nigeria as well as Africa.

 

Based on these underlying facts, it is quite saddening to see the East-West road in such a deplorable condition. For over a decade, the road has been a nightmare to commuters and other road users who transit between the West and East of the country.

 

Paradoxically, the multinational oil companies are most affected. Port Harcourt being the hub of the oil and gas industry and host to seaports and international airport definitely needs a major highway to link other production locations such as Warri, Ughelli, Yenegoa, Omoku, Obite, Uzere, Otorogun, Bori etc. With the present condition of the road, it is obvious that there are gross loss of man-hours and project delays with its attendant financial implications.

Common features of the East-West road are stranded and broken down vehicles at the multiple ditches. And with the moral decay in the society, armed robbers often exploit such conditions to rob and maim helpless commuters while the police use them as checkpoints to intimidate motorist.

 

The colossal loss of human life and resources is clearly manifested in the number of haulage trucks, tankers and damaged vehicles that often veer of the road into the surrounding soggy swamps. The above is as a result of the tiny winding curves and multiple ditches along the span of the road.

Ironically, road maintenance contractors are a reoccurring feature on the road. In the past ten years, contractors have being annually mobilized to either repair or rehabilitate sections of the road to satisfy their personal desires. Only recently, a construction giant was mobilized to botch up a section because of dignitaries attending an interment in Bayelsa state.

I want to opine that the road is presently a veritable channel for looting state funds. Why should the Federal Government annually award contracts for repair of the road instead of commissioning a project team for the total revamp? Again, this must include dualization and utilization of the appropriate road construction technology.

The presence of a lepers’ colony along the East-West road calls for an urgent attention, this, coupled with the numerous hawkers is a pitiable sight and evidently indicates the gross neglect prevalent in the Niger Delta.

It is a shame that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) that was created by the present government as a catalyst for development has not deemed it a priority to reverse the untoward neglect of the most economically viable road in the country. Frankly, the East-West road should be the backbone and nucleus of any development effort in the Niger Delta. Succinctly put, if the East-West road is not dualized, then the NNDC is a failure.

Why should a region whose epicurean state governors are members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, gets three times the resources of other states; claim to support resource control remain indolent? My concern is that resource control must go with responsibilities. Afterall, it is widely acknowledge that ‘’charity begins at home.

Interestingly, the multinational companies are champions of corporate social responsibilities in their home countries. Where is the evidence of such claims they vaunt about? It is open knowledge that most of the heavy-duty trucks that are often trapped on the road belong to such companies but there is no effort by them to ensure that the road is dualized.

In the face of this intolerable situation, there are several options available to reverse the trend. The indigenes and residents of the affected states should commence an awareness campaign on the sordid state of the road and the need for the dualization to meet the increasing requirement and demand on the road.

Albeit, the leaders of the states – Governors, elected and appointed political officials, traditional rulers, religious leader, professionals and the academia must see the dualization of the East-West road as a priority. The Governors of the three states should initiate the process and possibly collaborate to fund the project.

The multinational companies should as a matter of urgency collaborates as they do in exploration and production Joint ventures. It is my belief that a collaborative platform as exist in the JV’s can enable the organizations pool and harness the expertise and technology in the sector towards the successful dualization of the East-West road.

Again, the Federal government should display a high level of responsibility to the people of the Niger Delta. For ‘’where the treasure is, there goes the heart’’. The converse is the case in the Niger Delta. It is ridiculous and condemnable!

A situation in which the government would complain of lack of fund whereas the Federal Ministry of Works is desirous to undertake the construction of roads linking just one community is deceitful and rooted in nepotism and ethnic jingoism.

As published in the Vanguard Newspaper of Thursday, 10th November 2005, road tenders advertised include (i) Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (ii) Dualization of Sango-Otta- Idi Iroko (iii) Sango-Otta flyover on Otta Abeokuta Dual Carriageway with links from Obada to Oko (iv) Rehabilitation of Lagos-Otta Road (v) Rehabilitation of Ife-Ondo road (vii) Rehabilitation of Gbonga-Iwo-Oyo borders.

Furthermore, the following multi-billion road projects were reportedly awarded for construction: sections two of Onitsha-Owerri road (=N=20 billion); Funtua-Gausau-TalataMafara-Sokoto (=N=3.1 billion); Maraba-Ubali in Taraba state (=N= 5 billion); Ilaro-Abeokuta-Bakatari (=N=525 million); Ose bridge Ondo state (=N=1.4 billion).

It negates the spirit of transparency, anti-corruption, justice and equity if all the above roads shall be constructed and the dualization of the East-West road is not mentioned for conceptual design. What is the crime of the Niger Delta people? Why subject a viable entity to such a denudation? Imagine, Otta will soon have a flyover while the East-West road is still an eroded single carriage highway.

Otta i hail o! (apologies to Glo). If a farm needs all that road network, I want to elucidate that three states with a human population of more than 10 million people, 4 universities; 5 polytechnics; more than 10 colleges of education, 2 Petroleum training Institutes; more than 130 Oil & Gas flowstations; 4 crude oil export terminals; an LNG plant; 3 refineries; 3 power generating plants; 7 seaports; 2 airports and a number of farms, deserve a DUALIZED EAST-WEST ROAD.    

 

Sokore Collins Erebi

Warri, Nigeria