Residents Hail Gov Oborevwori on Approval of N400bn For Roads, Others, Urge Govt to Include Deplorable Odisi Road on List of Projects

Residents of Odisi Road in Ughoton community in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, have appealed to the Delta State Government to include the deplorable Odisi road to the list of roads to be constructed, rehabilitated and upgraded in the approved ₦400 billion critical infrastructure fund across the state.

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori-led administration, on Friday granted approval for the fund to be released for construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of critical infrastructure across the state during the State Executive Council meeting presided over by the governor.

Announcing the approvals, the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said that among other key projects approved is the rehabilitation of the Aghalokpe–SPDC–Adagbrassa–Aragba Road and adjoining streets in Okpe Local Government Area, as well as the rehabilitation and asphalt overlay of Okotomewo/Oviri Court/Adeje Road within the same council.

Reacting to the development, a resident and one of the landlords in Odisi Road, Pastor Bethel Iweriebor, commended the state government for granting approval for the rehabilitation of the Aghalokpe–SPDC–Adagbrassa–Aragba Road and adjoining streets in Okpe Local Government Area.

Specifically, Pastor Iweriebor said that residents of Odisi Road in Ughoton community, have been calling for urgent intervention as their main access road has become virtually impassable for sometime now.

He expressed optimism that the adjoining streets in Okpe local government area captured in the state government press release would include Odisi road.

Delta State governor currently paraded three multibillion naira flyovers and three slipways in the twin cities of Warri and Effurun as his administration’s flagship projects.

But for residents of Odisi Road, the popular saying, “One cannot be at the mouth of a river and use saliva to wash his hands,” should address their plight. They believe they cannot have Oborevwori, an Okpe man, entrusted with the state’s ocean of resources and his kinsmen will still be using saliva to wash their hands.

Stretching approximately 10 kilometres from the main road to the Warri River, Odisi Road connects residents to the waterfront leading into Warri refinery and Escravos River. Ughoton, one of the satellite towns near Warri and Effurun metropolis, became a sought-after suburb following the densely populated nature of both Warri and Effurun.

Checks revealed that the situation got worse when the area saw an increase in inhabitants as people moved in from Warri urban. Being one of the routes to the river, it attracted sand dredgers who recognized it as a lucrative business opportunity and moved there in large numbers.

Consequently, the road transformed into a busy hub for dredgers and tipper operators. Over time, the road’s condition worsened significantly, turning into a nightmare that greatly disrupted daily life and economic activities.

Iweriebor, a landlord in the area, described the challenges they face thus: “During rains, we cannot access our homes. We have to park our vehicles far away and walk, risking theft or damage to our vehicles. The situation is dangerous and unbearable. We pray our governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, will help us fix this road.

“It has been our call and prayer that the road should be tarred. We want to appeal to Governor Oborevwori to consider the plight of the people living at Odisi Road. The road is in a very bad state. When it rains, we cannot access our houses. We can’t go home. We have to park very far from our residence, and it has become a great threat to us”.