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Thursday, November 14, 2024

Niger Delta Ex-Agitators to Protest Over Neglected East-West Road

Demand Immediate Federal Action on Vital Infrastructure

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Former agitators from the Niger Delta are preparing for a large-scale protest against the deplorable condition of the East-West Road. They claim the road project has been abandoned, despite its significance in connecting critical national infrastructure such as the Onne Port, the Port Harcourt Refinery, and Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Ltd.

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Osaanya Osaanya, a prominent leader among the repentant militants, announced on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, that they would mobilize for what he described as the “mother of all protests” to express their frustration with the government’s neglect of the road.

Osaanya revealed that hundreds of youths from the region had committed to joining the protest, which is expected to last several days, to pressure the Federal Government to repair the road immediately. He labelled the road a death trap, where commuters and drivers often spend days navigating the worst sections.

Trucks and other vehicles frequently become trapped on the road between Bayelsa and Rivers states, raising questions about why the Federal Government and the Minister of Works, David Umahi, have not taken action.

Osaanya stated, “The problem we are facing on the East-West Road is caused by Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works. How on earth will he carve out the most disturbing spot that needs urgent attention to a sub-standard contractor? Or is the Minister of Works intentionally suffering the people of the Niger Delta? We will bring the protest to the doorstep of the Minister and the President so that they will know what we are going through.”

He called on relevant groups and leaders in the Niger Delta, including the Ijaw National Congress, the Ijaw Youth Council, the Movement for the Survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationality, the Ijaw Elders Forum, and former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to join the protest.

Osaanya also urged Ijaw leader and elder statesman Edwin Clark, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri—who he said had already started the protest—former Governor Seriake Dickson, and Rivers State Governor Siminialayi Fubara to support the demonstration.

“We can’t continue to live like this as a people. This is the major road connecting all of us in the Niger Delta, where the bulk of the resources used in constructing mega roads in other parts of the country come from. Why should we always be on our knees to beg for what we rightly deserve? This coming protest is another sad reminder of how we have been marginalised and neglected as a people,” he lamented.

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