By Austin Ogwuda
Residents of Venerable Nwabuoku Way, Ogbe-owele (Paradise Estate) Okpanam, Delta State, Nigeria, have, at last, heaved sigh of relief as management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has approved the construction of their deplorable road which had defied government intervention over the years.
The good news was broken on Friday when a top Director of the Commission, Mrs. May Nwaeke led a delegation of the Commission comprising some of their Engineers including the Contractor assigned to handle the project to meet with the Executive and some members of the Paradise Estate community.
Addressing the meeting comprising of Landlords and Tenants of Paradise Estate, Mrs Nwaeke said that the people of the Estate should count themselves lucky as the Managing Director of the Commission, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku had graciously granted the request following mounting pressures especially from her husband, Nkem Nwaeke, who is the Chief Press Secretary CPS to the Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt Hon. Dennis Guwor, drawing attention to the deplorable state of road.
She explained that they came for the Site Handing Over of the project signalling the take off of the construction of the road, assuring that the contractor would be mobilising to site almost immediately to commence work and sought for the community’s maximum cooperation.
The NDDC Director also called on the residents of the Estate to own the project by protecting it , cautioning that NDDC won’t tolerate any form of disruption as the work commences. The leadership of the community was particularly charged to ensure compliance to that effect.
Responding, the Paradise Estate Community Chairman, Mr. Akori Emmanuel told the NDDC delegation that the community was overwhelmed by the gesture and guaranteed the Commission of their total cooperation.
The Secretary of Paradise Estate community who gave a vote of thanks, Onyeisi Nkenchor PhD thanked the Commission for the intervention and craved for more goodies from them in future in terms of infrastructural development.
Photo caption: NDDC Director, Mrs May Nwaeke in a group photograph with the Commission’s team and some members of Paradise Estate community, Okpanam. On her immediate right is her husband, Nkem Nwaeke, CPS Delta State House of Assembly while on Mr Nwaeke’s immediate right is the Chairman of Paradise Estate community Okpanam, Mr Akori Emmanuel, among others.
