BY: Vitalis Ugoh Calabar
The Cross River State government has reiterated its readiness to collaborate with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in a bid to address the deplorable state of some Federal roads in the region, particularly the Calabar – Uyo road and the Ogoja – Katsina-Ala road.
This remarks was made on behalf of the governor, Sen. Prince Bassey Otu, by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, while receiving the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Hon. Abubakar Momoh and his team who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
Rt. Hon. Odey thanked the Hon. Minister and his team for making out time for the visit and congratulated him on his appointment.
He further commended the Minister for deeming it fit to tour the South-South region and see things for himself.
He said “we in Cross River State feel forgotten by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) because it does appear that everything ends in other parts of the region. We are in the Niger Delta, but we don’t enjoy the benefits of being in the region. Our roads are deplorable”.
He told the Minister that the road from Ogoja to Katsina-Ala (in Benue State ) is completely dilapidated, causing loss of goods for traders transporting perishable items between the states.
Odey appealed to the Hon. Minister to inform the Federal Executive Council (FEC) that the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is supposed to be closest to the people so as to understand their burdens since the latter are the foremost users that ply the roads.
“Therefore, interventions by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs should be faster and monitoring, easier.”
Odey assured the Minister and his team of the collaboration of the government and people of Cross River State while praying and hoping that his coming will be salvation for the state.
Earlier, the Minister, Hon. Abubakar Momoh, said that having recently assumed office, he and his team were in the state to see for themselves the projects which NDDC has undertaken in the past years before going back to the office to execute the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the President Bola Tinubu led administration.
Lamenting the deplorable state of the roads in Nigeria, the Minister noted that contrary to what they were made to believe while he was still in the Edo State House of Assembly, the East -West road does not connect the six states of the South-South; the angle of the road from Calabar to Uyo and from Warri to Benin was not captured.
He harped on the need for Governors, Ministers and political appointees from the South-South to collaborate in order to put to proper use the scarce resources for the region.
Hon. Abubakar added that with a President whose ears are on the ground, he had no doubts that by the time reports from the various regions are put out, he will listen and something good will be done in a very short time.
