By Owen Akenzua, Asaba
#TrackNigeria -Umuti, Akarai- Etiti, Akarai-Obodo, three communities in Delta state have protested the deplorable road network in the areas.
Protesters of the three communities in Ndokwa East local government area on Thursday expressed worries over the poor road network as death traps.
The communities are host to Multinational oil companies and have suffered deplorable road network of about 26 kilometers connecting Aboh, its headquarters.
President General of Umuti community, Moses Uruegwo who spoke to journalists in the area during the peaceful protest, explained that with the dawn of this year’s rain, all towns and villages in the areas would be cut off by flooding and erosion.
“We are faced with difficulties during this rainy season, there will be flooding, erosion and thereby creating the problems in evacuating the abundant farm produce to urban markets, including hindering our economic progress.
Despite the huge food and revenue potentials abound in the areas, there have been no presence of government in the communities.
We are appealing to Okowa to direct attention to the only road linking Aboh town with hinterland, all the oil companies have done nothing and our people have been suffering for over thirty years of no road” Uruegwo regretted.
He complained that the road was constantly being destroyed by heavy duty vehicles belonging to the companies operating within the local government area without regards to the plight of the host communities.
” We have spent over N3.6million on self help efforts for grading of the road which had been destroyed by various companies’ vehicles in the areas, and the alternative water routes had been blocked with oil pipelines
We are appealing to the state government to help us out, we are in total jeopardy in the survival of my people”Uruegwo added.
It was gathered that residents and indigenes of the three communities have been faced with high cost of living owing to the upsurge in transportation fare as a result of the bad road network.
The protesters carried various placards which displayed inscriptions such as :”Umuti Akarai Etiti, Akarai-Obodo people are suffering, we have no road , Okowa please come to our aid, oil companies have neglected us, the cost of our living is now a hell for us”
But the state director of information, Paul Osahor in swift reaction said that the state government will do everything possible to ensure a good road network for the communities and appealed for calm.
