Edo Youths Call On President Tinubu To Probe Controversial Commissioning of Abraka-Oben Reconstructed Road Project
By Simeon OSAJIE
Youths from Orhionmwon Local Government Area in Edo State under the umbrella body of Ugu Youths today called on President Bola Tinubu to probe the controversial Commissioning of the Abraka-Oben reconstructed road project by the Minister of Regional Development Commission, Abubakar Momoh.
The youths claimed that the Abraka-Oben road commissioned by the minister started and ended in the Delta State axis of the Benin-Abraka road.
The youths led by the Coordinator of Ugu Youth Coordinator, Monday Osemwenkhae said the community is still searching for the reconstructed Abraka- Oben road by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in their community.
He insisted that there is no road in the Niger Delta called Abraka-Oben road, but Benin-Abraka Road.
Osemwenkhae appealed to President Bola Tinubu to revisit the Abraka-Oben reconstructed road project recently commissioned by the Minister of Regional Development Commission, Abubakar Momoh for an on-the-spot assessment of work done on the federal highway.
The youths who lamented the injustice done to their community following the mention of Oben road during the said commissioning of the Abraka road project reconstructed by the federal government claimed that in reality such a road by the name Abraka-Oben does not exist in the Niger Delta.
Osemwenkhae noted that the federal road project that was commissioned by the Minister of Regional Development Commission is domiciled in Delta State and not extended to Oben Community in Edo State.
“We are calling on the minister to help us locate the said Abraka-Oben road which he commissioned. We have no knowledge of such a road by the name Abraka-Oben in our locality.
“We call on President Bola Tinubu to urge the Minister to revisit the host community of Oben to show to the world the federal road that was commissioned in the Edo State Axis on the Benin-Abraka road.
“Oben Community is host community to several oil and gas companies. We want President Bola Tinubu to come see what is going on in Oben community. We constructed the two links road to Oben with community help and support from one major oil giant operating in the community.
“President Tinubu should please pay a visit to Edo or Delta State and stop at Oben to see the project that was awarded in the community for him to have a first-hand knowledge of what is happening in the oil rich Oben Community,” he said.
Earlier, an elder in the Oben Community, Chief Friday Omoragbon lamented that the Minister commissioned the road in Delta State and captioned the said road as Abraka-Oben Road project instead of Benin-Abraka road.
According to Omoragbon, “No road like Abraka-Oben road in Orhionmwon Local Government Council Area. What we know here is called Benin Abraka road.
“We are not aware of any reconstructed Abraka-Oben road in our community. It is all lies that NDDC reconstructed the road called Abraka-Oben. We the people of Oben community are not even aware if the NDDC reconstructed the Abraka road let alone Oben section of the road.”
Responding, Commissioner representing Edo State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Hon. Patrick Asowerien said the road project is yet to be completed, noting that only phase one of the Abraka-Oben road is completed.
He noted that only 9.8km of the road was commissioned by the Minister of Regional Development Commission, Abubakar Momoh.
He faulted the narrative by the people of Orhionmwon that the federal government has completed and commissioned the Abraka-Oben federal road saying.
“Nobody claimed that the federal government has done or completed the Oben road axis of the project.
“The road is breaking into three phases. Phase one has been completed and commissioned. The Commission will commence work on Phase two then Phase three.”
Asowerien added that the Oben-Umugun road axis linking the Benin-Abraka highway in Orhionmwon Council Area of Edo State is 12.18km, which is yet to commence.
