A lecturer with the Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, PhD, has appealed to the State Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori to take over the reconstruction of the Sapele, Eku, Abraka, Obiaruku, Abavo, Agbor 70 Kilometers road.
Dr Bebenimibo who is also a human rights Activist decried the deplorable state of the Federal road and implored the Governor in an open letter to ameliorate the untold hardship people who are using the road are passing through on a daily basis.
The don who served as a board member of the immediate past Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), between 2019 and 2023, while lamenting the neglect of the road by the Federal Government over the years, advised the Governor to approach President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to allow him work on the road for the betterment of road users.
Dr Bebenimibo, a member of the Delta State PDP and an online publisher of PEBNEWS, wrote that; “I am a regular user of the road mentioned above. The road is dilapidated and unpassable now. I know that the road is a Federal road, which the Federal Government has purportedly worked on in the last 12 years or more. However, this road is right in the middle of Delta State, cutting across eight Local Government Areas, including your local government area, Okpe. Others are Ika South, Ika North East, Ukuwani, Ethiope East, Sapele and Ughelli North Local Government Areas. In other words, people from these local government areas have used this road before it became unpassable”.
He also wrote that; “Even you, Mr Governor, have used this road from Asaba to Osubi, your home town and vice versa, because it is shorter to use from Asaba to Osubi juxtaposed to wherever you use today
If truth be told, the unpalatable condition of the road is a major contributor to the high cost of agricultural products in the state and other parts of Nigeria. The rickety state of the road also contributes to the prevailing insecurity in Delta State”.
“It is also a significant contributor to the high cost of transportation in Delta State. The present state of the road is killing education in Delta State as two Universities in Delta State, namely Delta State University, Abraka and the University of Agbor are situated along the road; Staff and Students find it difficult to use the road right now”, he added.
According to the lecturer; ‘Your Excellency Sir, the reason for not intervening on this road- that it is a federal road is untenable. It is Deltans that use this road; Deltans own farms along this road, and it is Deltans that are suffering. If you can construct fly-overs on a federal road in Warri and Effurun, there is no reason why you should not reconstruct this critical road for Deltans, including you. Sir, you have used this road before its present deplorable condition”.
“Your Excellency Sir, it is time for you to approach President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allow you to work on this road.Your colleague-governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State acted similarly lately, taking over the reconstruction of the 70 kilometres Lagos to Abeokuta Expressway. I respectfully remind you that former governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyensom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, constructed 12 fly-overs on federal roads in Rivers State to ease traffic in the South-South state. You can borrow a leaf from these two great men”, Dr Bebenimibo wrote.
He added that; “Mr Governor sir, you made it copiously clear that you are a man of the people during your campaigns in 2023; and that you have enough dosage of “street credibility”, it is now that you have to demonstrate it against the time to come (2027). May Jehovah God see you through in piloting the affairs of Delta State. Amen”.