By Austin Ogwuda
THE Paramount Ruler of Idjerhe kingdom, His Majesty King Obukowho Monday Arthur Whiskey, Ph.D has called on the Federal Government to urgently fix most dangerous portions of the roads in the region, describing them as “death traps”.
“Some of these failed sections are just 2km or 3km long. What does it take a reasonable government or contractor to fix them?” he asked.
Speaking at his palace in Idjerhe, Ethiope West local government area of Delta State, Nigeria, on Wednesday, the monarch lamented that successive governments failed to address the poor road infrastructure despite the region’s huge contribution to the nation’s economy.
He cited major Federal and State roads linking Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Edo and Cross River States as examples of critical arteries now in ruin.
His words, “We no longer have roads in South-South Nigeria. What we have now are not motorable roads, they are death traps.
“The South-South produces the wealth of this nation through oil and gas, yet our people are left to travel on roads that are nothing short of graveyards. Truck drivers, traders and even emergency services risk their lives daily. This is unacceptable”.
He therefore called on the Federal Government, State Governors in the region and relevant Agencies to urgently embark on reconstruction and rehabilitation projects, warning that continued neglect would worsen insecurity, poverty and rural-urban migration.
“The Federal Government”, he went on, “should utilize the short dry season window in the Niger Delta to fix most dangerous portions of the roads”.
The monarch criticized contractors along the Benin-Warri route, citing the Ologbo project as an example. “Go to Ologbo, the contractors are just rigmaroling in one spot for 3 years now, they’ve not moved.
“If they finish one side, they put up a barricade, and you expect all the trucks from Northern and Western Nigeria heading to the South-South to squeeze through? It’s unacceptable,” he said.
He also appealed to multinational oil companies operating in the region to invest in road infrastructure as part of their corporate social responsibility, noting that good roads are key to improving commerce, healthcare access and social development.
King Whiskey expressed optimism about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership but stressed the need for deliberate action.
“I know that the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu means well for this country. But in meaning well, we desire special attention in the South-South.
“We cannot be laying the golden egg and yet be unable to eat even the normal egg. How? Those who lay the golden egg, shouldn’t they eat from it? We want to eat from that egg”, he concluded.
Photo: THE Paramount Ruler of Idjerhe kingdom, His Majesty King Obukowho Monday Arthur Whiskey, Ph.D . Below - one of the failed portions
