Abandoned East-West Road: NDDC to the Rescue
In spite of its significance as the major artery running through the frame of the six south-south states, the East-West Road has remained an uncompleted or worse still, abandoned project.
The sad story of this all important road is told graphically by the deplorable state of the Eleme-Onne axis in Rivers State. For many months, driving through this section of the road was tortuous and agonising. The harrowing experience was such that hapless road users endured excruciating pains and their vehicles puffed and limped across ditches and trenches on the road.
Today, that grim outlook is beginning to change for the better. Now, the situation has improved tremendously, thanks to the efforts of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The NDDC Managing Director, Mr Nsima Ekere, is leading the charge to end the suffering of commuters and other Nigerians who do business along that very important road that leads to the nation’s premier refinery and petrochemical plant.
Ekere recently led a team of NDDC Directors, including the Executive Director Projects, Engr. Samuel Adjogbe, to inspect the on-going emergency repairs on the six-kilometre stretch from Eleme Junction to Onne Junction.
The NDDC team was greeted by jubilant motorists and artisans as they assessed the progress of work from one failed portion to the other. Their excitement was understandable, considering the pains and discomfort they had gone through in the recent past.
The timely intervention of the NDDC, attracted the attention of members of the National Assembly who gave the Commission thumbs up.
Senator George Sekibo was the arrow head of Niger Delta Senators who laid the issue of the East-West Road on the floor of the Upper Chamber for discussion on July 5, 2017. The lawmakers raised what they termed “grave concerns” over the dilapidated state of the East-West road, especially the section along Eleme junction to Onne junction, noting that it had heightened the threat levels to multi-billion dollar investments in the area.
As the Senators set off the alarm bells at the National Assembly, the broader issues of funding and delays were also put on the table. However, the concerns of the lawmakers did not diminish the emergency intervention of the NDDC.
The interventionist agency didn’t need to be prodded to move into action to save a major road that links huge investments and critical national infrastructures which constitute the live-wire of the nation’s economy.
It is instructive to note that the NDDC had undertaken similar interventions in the past. Last year, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State had cause to attest to the good works of the Commission. He could not thank the NDDC enough for restoring the Calabar-Itu Road and the Calabar-Ikom roads.
Now, all eyes are on the East-West Road where the NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs are leaving no stones unturned to save the day. According to the NDDC Chief Executive Officer, the emergency repairs was the only remedy to what he described as a critical situation, adding that the intervention was necessary to save the very busy and important road artery in the Niger Delta.
Mr Ekere estimates that the East-West Road which straddles the six South-South States would take over N70 billion to complete, stating that the urgent repairs on the road was meant to arrest the deteriorating state of the road and reduce the pains of motorists.
He stressed the importance of the road, describing it as the gateway to economic activities in the Niger Delta region. He declared: “This road means a whole lot to the people of the Niger Delta.”
The NDDC boss said that the objective of the Commission was to ameliorate the sufferings of motorists who ply the road, as well as improve the living conditions of the people of the region and urged the contractor to speed up
work on the repairs without compromising on quality.
He said: “So far, the quality of work here is impressive. I am not an engineer, but even as a lay man, the fact that you have to excavate as much as 2.5 metres in some areas to remove unsuitable materials before sand filling, speaks a lot about the work.”
While commending the contractor for mobilizing to the site promptly, he challenged other Nigerian contractors to focus on delivering on quality rather than reaping unhealthy profits on public contracts.
Ekere stressed: “We want to shame our critics and we want to ensure that we deliver for the common good of the people of the Niger Delta. We are committed to delivering quality roads and other infrastructure that meet international best practices and standards.”
Briefing the NDDC team, the Project Manager of the construction firm, Engr. Efe Eloho, told the Directors that dealing with the loose soil texture was a major challenge, but promised that the repairs would stand the test of time. “We excavate as much as 2.5 metres in some areas to remove unsuitable materials before filling with sharp sand and hard core,” he said.
Engr. Eloho said that although the road was a major route for fuel tankers, he could guarantee that it would last for up to 20 years because of the special attention they were paying to quality.
At the Eleme Junction end of the road, excited road users were visibly happy with what the NDDC was doing to ease their pains. One of them, Mr Paul Okoede, said that the highway was critical to the economic activities of the south-south region, praying that God should bless President Muhammadu Buhari and encourage him to do more.
Okoede, who trades in building materials, praised the NDDC for the urgent intervention, adding: “I am impressed by the tremendous improvement on the road. I saw the signboards of the NDDC on several repaired spots. I think it’s a commendable effort. Although a lot still needs to be done, it is now a lot easier to pass through the road.”
Mr Timothy Etokakpan, a Pharmaceutical salesman in Eleme, said he was pleasantly surprised to see heavy construction equipment rumbling along the bad stretch to bring succour to most people whose businesses had been crippled. He said he was already singing songs of redemption along with his friends.
For Mr Marcus Wisdom, a bus driver, “the NDDC has saved us from the nightmare that we used to go through on this road. In fact, motorists using this road are very happy with the Commission. It used to take commuters about four hours to commute from Eleme Junction to Refinery, a journey that should normally take 20 minutes,” he said.
It is also good news for Mr. Christian Ukor, a driver with one of the transport companies that regularly plies the route to Uyo. He said that without the involvement of the NDDC, they would have long abandoned the road. “We suffer a lot on the pot hole-ridden road, which takes a heavy toll on human lives and vehicles. Before now, drivers that dared to use the road, ended up in mechanic workshops. We are very happy with NDDC for what they have done in the last few weeks.
As for Mr. Ogbonna Chukwudi, a computer vendor who transacts business in Ogoni area, the NDDC has brought enormous relief for the people. “The NDDC has saved us from the nightmare that we used to go through on this road. In fact, motorists using this road are very happy with the commission. It used to take travellers about six hours to commute from Port Harcourt to Ogoni area, a journey that should normally take about one hour.”
Perhaps, the major beneficiaries of NDDC’s intervention are distributors of petroleum products. For them, bad roads kill their business as they constitute a big threat to petroleum tankers. The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, must be relieved now that the East-West Road is being fixed.
The union had appealed to the Federal Government to urgently fix the road to stop the loss of lives and property. According to the president of the union, Achese Igwe, “the bad spots on the road have become death traps and pose danger and threat to tankers, trailers and the general public.”
He warned that “NUPENG cannot allow its members to risk their lives and those of other members of the public who ply the road day and night with hazardous and inflammable products such as petrol, kerosene and diesel.”
The concerns of NUPENG and other stakeholders have been largely addressed by the intervention of the NDDC. With the on-going repairs in full speed, companies like the Indorama Petroleum Limited, West African Container Terminal Limited, Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited, Oil and Gas Free Zones, Onne and Intel Services, have reasons to smile.
Intel Services, for instance, seems to have a huge weight lifted off its back. According to its Public Relations Manager, Mr Isidore Sambol, repairing the road is in the best interest of the companies in the area. “Our own workers stand to benefit from the effort because they suffer a lot each working day manoeuvring their way through the heavy traffic experienced on the road and the attendant pot holes as they make their way to the office,” he said.
