Delta Activist Calls For Renaming Of Itakpe-Warri Railway

By Ambrose Ologide

An Udu activist, Comrade Okpako Onoriobe has called for the renaming of Itakpe – Warri Railway and for the quality rehabilitation of Ogodogun Road in Ovwian in Udu Local Government Area.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain made the calls in a chat with our correspondent at a public function at his country home of Ogbe-Udu, Udu Local Government Area on Sunday July 19, 2020.

Onoriobe who traced the award of the multi billion-naira railway project to the PDP administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, explained that the call was necessary for record purposes and for those outside Delta State to know the actual location of the project.

While commending President Muhammadu Buhari for the completion of the project, he noted that it was wrong to name or refer to the railway as Itakpe- Warri.

“The railway terminal is at Ovwian/Aladja, the site of the defunct Delta Steel Company (DSC) in Udu Local Government Area and not in Warri South Local Government Area. So Udu should be reflected in the name of the railway for record purposes,” he stated.

He therefore suggested that the railway should be renamed or referred to as ‘Itakpe- Udu Railway.’

Onoriobe who is also the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mile Security Organization, Igbudu Market, Warri also appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to prevail on the contractor handling the rehabilitation of Ogodogun Road project in Ovwian to do quality job as he alleged that the rains had made nonsense of the project.

He was full of praises for Governor Okowa for patronizing Udu Local Government Area in terms of appointments and infrastructural developments.

“Governor Okowa is working, contractors should not do anything to look as if he is not doing anything in Udu Local Government Area,” he stressed.

The PDP chieftain then called on the authorities in charge of monitoring of projects to ensure that the Ogodogun rehabilitation road and other on-going projects in Udu Local Government Area were done to quality standard.