Sapele-Eku-Abraka -Agbor Road, Worse Than What You See In War Ravaged Places- Delta Monarch Laments

By Felix Okotie

The Ovie of Umiaghwa Abraka Kingdom, HRM (AVM) Lucky Ochuko Ararile (RTD) has called on those in government to intervene on the deplorable state of the Sapele -Eku – Abraka -Agbor Road, saying they as a kingdom have exhausted their goodwill after several intervention.

He said this when members of Oasis Magazine Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, visited him on Wednesday in his palace at Oria.

The highly respected Urhobo Monarch, a Retired Air Vice Marshall, while narrating his over 10 years experience in the ECOMOG Operation, said, “I did not know how we degenerated into this level, even if we have fought a war, we would not have come to this level where we are today, I was involved in the ECOMOG Operation for over 10 years, from the initial exaction of the our Nigeria troops, significantly, I flew the last flight from ECOMOG, I went to bring the last set of Nigeria Soldiers, we flew from Guinea.

He continued: “In the years the war lasted, I went by road around Liberia and Sierra Leone, I did not see any road like this; that is why I said, even if we have fought a war, the enemies would not have destroyed this road to this extent, not to talk of a country, an oil producing country with so much resources any country can think about.”

The monarch insisted that there is no reason why the Sapele-Eku -Abraka -Agbor Road should not be completed after 8 years of abandonment.”

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He said further: “The sad part of it is that this road is not tied to the budget, this road is funded by Sukuk. We were beneficiary of the Sukuk fund that was raised. This money was gotten before the contract was awarded. The money is supposed to be there, so there is no reason why that road should not be completed maximum one year.”

Continuing, he said: “I followed up the project; the portion that was constructed was done in less than three months before President Buhari’s second term election. As soon as results were announced, that was when the project stopped.”

The monarch further lamented the effect of the deplorable state of the road on his Kingdom and other affected communities.

Adding: “It has affected commerce, our social life, community relationships and conjugal relationships.

“For years now a major portion of the road is not in use, as road users have been subjected to gruesome experiences, kidnapping and other terrible crimes are the order of the day as criminals take advantage of the bad road to attack their victims.”

Attempts to reach the Senator Representing Delta Central, Senator Ede Dafinone failed as he did not reply to text messages sent to his mobile phone.