The Minister for Regional Development Commission, Engr Abubakar Momoh has been called out for commissioning a nonexistent road in Edo state.
He was called out by a group under the aegis of Ugu Youths for Developmental Change, UYDC, in Edo State.
DAILY POST reports that the youths, during a protest in Benin City on Monday, described the commissioning of the road as a calculated attempt to cover up the continuous neglect of the area.
The coordinator of the youths, Monday Osemwenkhae, who spoke at the secretariat of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, said their members cut across youths from over 13 communities in Ugu Ward in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the state.
Osemwenkhae, who listed some of the communities, including Urhehue, Oben, Odighi, and Obanokhoro, alleged that the said road was nonexistent.
He also alleged that the minister’s action was calculated to cover up the continuous neglect of the area, which houses the largest gas deposit in West Africa.
According to him, “We are here to say that the said Abraka-Oben Road, which was commissioned by the Honourable Minister for Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, does not exist anywhere in our locality.
“The said road is a calculated attempt to cover up the continuous neglect of our area by his ministry and its affiliate agencies and commissions like the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for a very long period.
“For emphasis, the Oben oil field houses the highest gas deposit in West Africa, and the Ministry of Regional Development is supposed to handle the development of its environs with keen interest.
“But what we have just witnessed is the commissioning of a nonexistent road with our community’s name attached, to divert attention from the neglect of roads in the area.
“The link roads to Oben are the Ugo-Obozogbe-Iguelaba road and the Umoghun-Nokhua-Oben road. The former is currently undergoing construction courtesy of community funds and a private company.
“The name ‘Oben’ has been used as a cash cow for many years, and we expect the present Nigerian government, led by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to change the narrative rather than having his minister commission a nonexistent road using our community’s name,” he alleged.
However, when contacted by phone, the Minister, Engr Abubakar Momoh, denied commissioning a nonexistent road.
Momoh explained that the road commissioned runs from the Delta State end, Abraka to Oben.
“They should go through Abraka to Oben. We didn’t say Benin to Oben; we said Abraka to Oben—that is, from the Delta end—so they should get it clear.
“You can now move from Oben to Abraka without stress. The ministry previously worked on the road from Benin for up to 20 kilometers.
“The other road they are talking about, from Abraka to Benin, has its first phase completed. It is a 10-kilometer road—Abraka to Oben, not Benin to Abraka,” he stated.
