"Our Roads Are Terrible," C'River Gov't Tells Minister of Niger Delta
By Hannah ARIKPO
The Cross River State Government has bemoaned the deplorable condition of roads leading to Calabar, the state capital.
To this end, Government has pledged it's readiness to collaborate with the Ministry of Niger -Delta Affairs in a bid to address the deplorable state of the roads in the region, particularly the Calabar - Uyo road and the Ogoja - Katsina-Ala road.
The State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey who made the remarks while representing the Governor, Sen. Prince Bassey Otu, during a courtesy visit by the Minister of Niger -Delta, Hon. Abubakar Momoh and his team at Government house, Calabar described the roads as death traps.
He informed the Minister that the road from Ogoja to Katsina-Ala is completely dilapidated causing loss of goods for traders transporting perishable food stuff between the states.
He appealed to the Hon. Minister to inform the Federal Executive Council of the burden on the people who ply the road and expressed confidence on the Ministry due to it's closeness to offer faster intervention and effective monitoring.
"Infact, what you see today, is even better because some remedial work was done in very bad spots otherwise ... most people traveling to Uyo prefer to use the ferry through Oron, until we started having issues with the waterways when a boat capsided with young students, couple with kidnapping and other insecurity issues, may be that is why people are saying let us manage the road the way it is," Odey stated.
According to the Deputy Governor, "We in Cross River State feel forgotten by the Niger - Delta Commission because it does appear that everything ends in other parts of the region. We are in the Niger - Delta, but we don't enjoy the benefits of being in the region. Our roads are deplorable".
Odey assured the Minister and his team of the collaboration of the government and people of Cross River State while praying and hoping that his coming will be salvation for the state.
Odey, thanked the Hon. Minister and his team for making out time to visit and congratulated him on his appointment and for deeming it fit to tour the south - south region to see things for himself.
Earlier, the Minister who assumed office recently said they were in the state to see for themselves the projects which NDDC had undertaken in the past years before going back to the office to execute the 'Renewed Hope Agenda' of the President Bola Tinubu led administration.
Lamenting the deplorable state of the roads in Nigeria, the Minister noted that contrary to what they were made to believe while he was in the Edo State House of Assembly, that the East-West Road connects six states of the South-South, the angle of the road from Calabar-Uyo and Warri - Benin were not captured.
Harping on the need for Governors, Ministers and political appointees from the South-South to collaborate in other to put to proper use the scarce resources for the region, Hon. Abubakar added that with a President whose ears are on the ground, he had no doubts that by the time reports from the various regions are put out, he will listen and something good would be done in a very short time.
"My message is that, State Governors in the region should try as much as possible to collaborate - only through collaboration and partnership that the scarce resources we have can be applied to achieve something reasonable in the region", Momoh pleaded.
