Eleme protest on East-West Road: FG release N2.5b for repairs

Nigeria goment say dem don release N2.5 billion so dem fit carry out remedial works for di bad sections of di Eleme-Onne axis of di East-West road.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, tok dis one after im meet with management of RCC, di construction firm wey go handle di projects, e come direct dem to start work by Friday.

For days now, youths don block di major road for Rivers State to protest di poor condition of di road.

Akpabio beg di Niger Delta youths wey dey protest to comot for section 3 of di East-West road to allow di contractors start work.

"Di essence of dis protest na to draw di attention of di goment to di road and now we don come so allow us to start work."

Di Minister also say federal gonment don release additional N2.5 billion for payment of compensation to property owners along di road corridor come regret say di initial N4.5 billion wey bin dey budgeted for compensation no fit meet up with demands.

Im add say Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) don also budget another N35 billion to support di project, and di ministry don channel funds for over 304 projects into di East-West road project.

Di initial contracts for dualization of di 338km road wey go link Warri (Delta State) to Oron (Cross River State) through Kaima (Bayelsa), Ahoada, Port Harcourt, Ogoni (Rivers State) and Eket Townships (Akwa Ibom State) wey be Section I-IV bin dey initially awarded in four sections to four different contractors in 2006.

Di 'One-demand protest'

Na since early mor mor on Monday 26 July 2021 youths from Eleme local goment area of Rivers State use trailers and oda heavy duty trucks, block di East-West road for Akpajo junction.

Dem also block Port Harcourt Refinery junction and Onne Trailer park. Dis action stop all form of commercial activities and movements on di road.

Dia protest na to demand make Federal Goment immediately repair bad portions of di road as e don become death trap for pipo wey dey ply di road evri day as e dey cause plenty accidents and heavy traffic jam especially wen big trucks and containers fall down, sake of di bad roads.

Some of di youth leaders wey tok to BBC Pidgin like Prince Nsaeo Okere, im say because di East West road dey very bad, vehicles divert use di internal roads for di community and dis don allegedly spoil all di internal roads for Eleme.

"Anytime pesin dey travel dis axis, im mind go dey on dis road. Journey wey suppose take at most 24 minutes, pesin go spend five, six hours sometimes we dey stay here daybreak because one truck fall down.

Dis don spoil all our internal roads. Enter inside Eleme now, all di internal roads don bad because as dis Federal road no good, all dis big big trucks dem get to use di internal roads and all of dem don spoil finish.

Our demand dey simple. Wetin we want na for di contractor wey dey handle dis project to mobilise to site to begin work before we go comot here." Dem tok

Di protest also gada youths from Ogoni, Okrika, Obolo and oda communities wey dey travel through dat axis go dia place.

BBC Pidgin gada say Stakeholders dey meet to decide weda or not dem go continue wit di protest following di announcement wey di Minister of Niger Delta make say dem go begin remedial works on Friday.