Drama as stakeholders tackle Works Minister

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Tension was visible on Sunday as angry stakeholders openly disagreed with the Honourable Minister of Works, David Umahi, over the Lagos-Calabar Highway diversion.

The tension was so high that the minister called on security agents stationed at the entrance of the venue to remove one of the stakeholders, but members of the National Assembly present intervened.

Trouble started when the minister was reacting to calls by some stakeholders from the Okun Ajah community, who questioned the reason for the diversion of the road to their affected houses and estates.

The minister had earlier claimed that the design for the road had been completed and that the ministry would not change it.

The minister, while giving reasons for the diversion, claimed that the road was diverted in Okun Ajah due to the presence of a marine cable.

However, one of the stakeholders, Engr. Stella Okengwu, raised an observation that the marine cable is not in Okun Ajah but in Okun Mopo, which is about seven kilometres away from Okun Ajah.

Engr. Okengwu pointed to the presentation by the minister and insisted that “the marine cable is in Okun Mopo and not in Okun Ajah as claimed by the minister.”

The situation almost degenerated into an exchange of words as the woman tried to explain in detail, but the minister instructed her to surrender the microphone.

There was a serious uproar from the hundreds of other stakeholders, including traditional rulers, who attended the event.

Engr. Okengwu, while speaking with newsmen after the event, said, “We are still not satisfied with what the minister has done.

“We are here talking about $250 million (two fifty million dollars) investments of Nigerians in the Diaspora. The minister has not given any reason why they are avoiding the 2006 Gazetted alignment.

“He claimed that they cannot take the road through the oceanside, and they give the marine cable as an excuse. That is still subject to investigation, whether there is cable there or not.

“Now, what is clear is that there is no marine cable on the 2006 Gazetted Alignment. Why can’t they take the road through the Gazetted alignment, since that was where our president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, earmarked for this road since when he was a governor?”

She, therefore, appealed to the president to prevail on the Minister of Works to follow the already designated 2006 Gazetted alignment.

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