Edo State Government has threatened to treat members of the Evbuorokhuo community as criminals, for preventing a construction company, Raycon Construction Company (RCC), from handling the Ikpako-Ajoki road project from executing project.
Chris Osa Nehikhare, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, who handed over the threat while speaking with journalists on the issue, said it was regrettable that a people who should be happy that development was coming their way were the very people working against the progress of their community.
Nehikhare added that the state government would rather treat those preventing and threatening construction workers as criminals than pay compensation.
“I cannot imagine a people who should be happy that development was coming to their communities through the road project, are threatening workers sent by the government and demanding for compensation.
“However, we have asked the Director in the Ministry of Roads and Bridges along with officials from the Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC) to visit the site for on-the-spot assessment”, the commissioner stated.
It would be recalled that the Edo State Government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC) and other partners had on Feb. 9, 2022, flagged off the 16.7km Ikpako-Ajoki road project that cuts across Ovia North-East and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas (LGA) of the state.
Governor Godwin Obaseki, at the flag-off, said the road project would open up the communities to economic development activities, especially because of its proximity to the planned Benin Seaport in Gelegele.
The investigation, however, revealed that some farmers said to be from Evbuorkhuo village, in Ovia North-East LGA of the state are preventing the construction company from carrying out its work, over alleged encroachment and damage to their farm crops.
The action of the grieving farmers is said to have stopped the company from continuing its stone dressing work because of their demand for compensation for the alleged damage.
Confirming the incident to Journalists in Benin, the company’s site manager, Chidubem Ikedionwu, said “it took the intervention of the leadership of Obateru Community before one of the armed farmers, allowed us to move one of the seized earth equipment.
“That Saturday’s intervention was a minor one. The farmers had previously prevented us from moving the earth equipment to another site which is delaying the construction work.
“And this is delaying site clearance which ought to have been completed two to three weeks ago,’’ Ikedionwu lamented.
Mr Emmanuel Uwagboe, the Odionwere (Village Head) of the Obateru community, while relaying his encounter with one of the aggrieved farmers told journalists that “the caterpillar was released following my intervention.
“I spoke with the farmers to thread with caution and also appeal to the state government to meet and dialogue with the farmers,’’ he said.
Contacted, the Community Liaison Officer, Mr Stanly Osayande, who also confirmed the incident, appealed to the state government to dialogue with the aggrieved farmers for the sake of humanity.
“As laudable as the Ikpako-Ajoki road project is, we don’t want anything that will jeopardise its completion on time.
“But it is my appeal that the state government should for humanity’s sake meet with these farmers and offer them something for their damaged crops considering the current economic hardship in the country,’’ Osayande pleaded.