By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Ogoni Liberation Initiate (OLI), has lauded the federal government for yielding to its call to rehabilitate the Eleme-Onne East West road, in South South Rivers State.
President of the group, Dr. Fabeke Douglas had in October 2022, given the then Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola a 14 day ultimatum in a letter submitted to the Ministry in Abuja to fix the road or be ready to contain it with a mother of all protest.
Fabeke had said the letter submitted was about the second apart from the several news reports written to draw government attention to the deplorable road.
“If the government did not act, there would be a total shutdown of the road through a massive protest”, Fabeke had said.
Responding, President Bola Tinubu administration, in September 2023 through the new Minister of Works, David Umahi, released a whopping sum of N33 billion to commence work on the road.
The work was however suspended by the federal government following a substandard material being used to execute the project.
But the narrative has since changed as the federal government has reversed its directive on the suspension of work.
Elated by the progress of the work, the Ogoni group said the move means that government is sensitive to the plight of the people, urging the Minister of Works, to ensure that the contractors will continue to adhere to the acceptable standard of the project with quality materials and to also ensure that the project is completed within the specified time.
Fabeke said the Ogoni people will continue to support the federal government on people oriented project.
“We appreciate President Bola Tinubu for doing this for us, it will be in the record that this road was constructed during his time to alleviate the suffering of residents. It used to be a terrible network of roads within this community, today, we can see the level of work ongoing and this will contribute to the development of our area.
“The big gullies that used to cut off the roads and claim lives during flooding will disappear after the rehabilitation is completed and we are grateful to the President”, he said.
