East-West Road: ‘Enough Is Enough’, We’ll No Longer Tolerate The Death Trap – IYC To Buhari’s FG, Akpabio

The Central zone of the  Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Saturday says it would no longer fold its hands and watch, while her people suffers and died from deplorable state of the East-West which they described as ‘a death trap’.

Saying ‘Enough is Enough’, IYC accused President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio of playing lip service to the construction of the project which started 14 years ago.

A statement by the zonal Chairman, Comrade Clever Inodu, described the East/West Road as a death trap and wonder why the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and other critical stakeholders have been playing politics with the job.

The IYC who warned that the Ijaw youths will not continue to watch the deplorable condition of the road, attributed that, the lack of political will and gross underfunding have hindered the completion of the East-West road project. 

The group call on the authorities to quickly mobilize contractors to finish up the East/West Road, especially the Bayelsa axis.

“Despite the economic importance of the road, which crisscrosses five out of the six states in the South-South, for the past 14 years, barely 50 percent of the road has been completed, due mainly to lack of political will and funding constraints by the previous and present administrations”

Comr. Inodu lamented that the bad road has caused untold hardship, frustration, accidents and uncountable deaths.

“..It is quite saddening to see the East-West road in such a deplorable condition. For over a decade, the road has been a nightmare to commuters and other road users who transit between the West and East of the country. Thus, it is imperative for the needful to be done.”

“The Ijaw Youth Council will no longer fold its hands and watch, while her people suffers from the Nigerian state. Enough is Enough”

BIGPEN recalls, Akpabio had in August, said that the President Buhari had ordered the completion of East-West Road in Niger Delta before the end of November 2021. He spoke while addressing Petrol Station Owners Association (PESOA) that visited him to demand the approval of the revaluation and supplementary valuation of the 40 filling stations belonging to its members along Eleme junction and Onne portion of the road.

“We don’t have time, we must get cracking because the dry season in the region is always the best time for construction.”

According to the minister, the Federal Government has so far spent about N331 million on the road from Warri while the initial cost remains about N102 billion.

“With the release of these N20 billion, what we are looking for now is about N82 billion. As soon as we exhaust this amount we will make sure that the other one is ready.

“The initial release as of yesterday is about N9 billion, so we still have some money for the companies that are ready.”