Six years after it was abandoned, construction work on the Emevor-Orogun Road in Delta State is to resume, signaling hope for the rural farmers and businessmen whose ventures have suffered huge setbacks as a result of the deplorable state of the road.
The glimpse of hope on the road that transverses through Isoko and Ughelli North communities, was raised when officials of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), inspected the project.
Speaking after the inspection at Emevor, director, NDDC, Delta State, Mr Audu Ohwavborua, said the forensic audit of the NDDC will soon be submitted and a proper board constituted for the commission.
According to him, the problem of the road is lack of capacity on the side of the contractors to whom the contract is awarded.
He assured that the road would be put on the priority list of the projects of the commission in order to fast track its completion.
He directed the contractors to return to site, assuring that their certificates would be processed for payment on the condition that they return to site.
“Let me say that the problem of the NDDC is that we haven’t developed to the point where our indigenous contractors can comfortably compete with the multinationals. As an institution, we haven’t done well too for the people of the Niger Delta, but I can assure you that with the forensic audit coming out soon, we will overcome that set back,” he stated.
In his remark, the commissioner representing Isoko ethnic nationality in the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Dr Paul Oweh, said the road has become an embarrassment to the community and urged the NDDC to do everything possible to ensure its completion.
President general of Emevor community, Mr Moses Agboro, said the community would remain grateful to the NDDC if the Emevor Orogun road was completed.
A member of the Emevor infrastructural committee, Professor Roland Ubogu, said with the visit of the NDDC officials to the project, there is light at the end of the tunnel, even as he encouraged leaders of the community to cooperate with the commission to ensure prompt delivery of the project.
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