Godswil Akpabio NDDC Interim Management Committee wey presidency put don scrap 23.5km road project connecting Bayelsa and Rivers State?
NDDC Interim Management Committee (IMC) wey presidency appoint don abandon Odual Kingdom road project, for di costal Niger Delta community of Rivers State, southern Nigeria.
To travel to communities for Odual Kingdom be like pesin wey dey explore wild jungle because dem no get road, BBC Pidgin don find out. Odual kingdom dey for Abua/Odual local goment area of Rivers State but because di road wey connect dem from di Abua axis don kpafuka alias cut off from oda communities long time ago, di only way to go dia na to go through Oruma or Otuasega communities for Ogbia local goment for Bayelsa State, wia dem go pay at least N2000 - N2500 to take motorbike travel through bush path to get to any of the communities. For pipo wey no get di money, na trek dem go trek as motor no fit pass di road. During dry season, di route dey manageable as na dust dem dey battle, but rainy season na anoda matter as di route dey dangerous. NDDC try intervene but di project never finish To intervene and make road for di pipo, Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC begin 23.5km Otuasega-Obedum-Emelego road and bridges wey go link both communities for dis area both from Bayelsa and Rivers State. Wen BBC Pidgin Tori pesin Karina Igonikon visit di area, she find out say di road project don begin from Otuasega side for Bayelsa to Obedum, Emirikpoko and Anyu communities for di Odual side but stop just few meters to di Ekagho creek, wey dey between Anyu and Ogboloma communities. Wen BBC Pidgin reach di tok tok pesin for NDDC, Charles Obi Odili on di reason wey make di 23.5km Otuasega-Obedum-Emelego-Okolomade road never complete, im reply for text message say im "no get di facts about di project until im colleagues return to di office." NDDC Interim management committee dey face probe panel wey National Assembly set up to torchlight N40 billion wey dey missing. But strong flood water don collapse di small wood bridge wey di community pipo build so dem fit cross di creek as di strong currents from di creek fit drown pesin. 'We no fit travel go home during rainy season' HRH King Temple Macdonald Jamala II of Odual Kingdom tell BBC Pidgin say na for 2005, two years after im coronation for 2003, naim NDDC award di road for construction. Den wen one of sons of Odual kingdom, Dr. Henry Ogiri bin be Executive Director Finance and Administration for NDDC naim dem try do something for di road but since after Jonatham Administration, notin don happen for di road. "We no fit go home during rainy season because of some waterlogged areas and di brodeg dem wey don break. HRH Temple Jamala (na im wear di hat) We don tok to di Contractor wey dey do di road and dem say wen dem constitute di NDDC board, dem fit tok to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and di MD about how dem fit continue di road project." Na so King Jamala tok. Di road na regional road, 23.5km wey suppose end for Adada waterside but so far na only half dem don do. So now pipo for communities like Ekunuga, Okolomade, Emelego, Adada and link back to Ogboloma dey suffer as road no dey." Dokonu bridge na wia dem fit pay N500 take boat to avoid di bad road go down oda communities like Adada, Akani and Amuruto. 'We still be part of Rivers State?' Di pipo for dis communities na mainly farmers and fishermen wey dey deal in banana, plantain, garri and fish so e dey very difficult and expensive to transport dia goods come out sake of di bad road. Chief Agara John Samuel wey be chairman Odual Council of Chiefs say "Goment go, goment come but none of dem dey think of us, how we dey survive for si areas. We be human beings and e dey make us wonder weda we still be part of Rivers State as e be like say Goment don forget us. We get oil wells and Goment dey nake money from am but notim dey return to us." Olavokere Ule, wey be bikeman from Emelego community say, di wood bridge for di Ekagh creek na community effort from pipo from Anyu, Ekunuga and Okolomade so dia pipo fit pass. "Goment dey collect many tins from us but notin we dey benefit. During campaigns na so dem go come promise us many times but wen dem enter office dem go forget us." Olavokere Ule Esther Princewill say life hard for dem for sake of di bad road. Esther wey go buy market from Bayelsa say she spend reach N7000 for transport to reach her house for Emelego. " We no dey see better profit for si market we dey sell. Now already I don spend like N7000 for transport, how much I wan sell out for di Market? E no easy at all." Dem say make Goment put eye come work di road for dem as na di women dey suffer pass as dem no fit sell dia market and many if dem don loss dia goods.