Admin l Saturday, November 02, 2019
AKOKO, Ondo, Nigeria – Members of the House of Representatives have commended the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for the rehabilitation of roads in Akoko North East and Akoko North West Local Government Areas of Ondo State.
The legislators spoke to newsmen after driving through the 7.5-kilometre Arigidi Akoko-Okeagbe Road for the civic reception held in honour of the Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in Okeagbe.
Among the lawmakers that expressed their views was the representative of Etinan/Nsit Ibom/Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, Hon Luke Onofiok, who said that the journey to Okeagbe through Owo was a nightmare “because a journey that was supposed to take about two and half hours, took us five hours from Akure because of the poor state of the road.”
He said that given what they experienced on the road, they would certainly do something to ameliorate the suffering of road users in that axis. Onofiok commended the NDDC for intervening to save the situation in some sections of the road. He said: “We will encourage the NDDC to do more but at the heart of it is the need for sincerity among all stakeholders, including politicians.”
Speaking in the same vein, the representative of Ohaji Egbema Federal Constituency in Imo State, Hon Kingsley Uju, affirmed that the NDDC was doing a good job on the road to Okeagbe.
He stated: “For executing such a project, I can say that the NDDC is getting down to the nooks and crannies of the Niger Delta region. I commend the Commission for that and I expect more of such projects in different communities across the region.
“The essence of establishing the NDDC is to intervene in those critical infrastructure that touch the lives of the people. And because it is an interventionist agency, we are looking forward to see them do more in electricity, road, water and other basic amenities.”
Uju promised that the National Assembly would drive relevant bills that would facilitate the operations of the NDDC, stating that the House of Representatives was making efforts to see how the Commission could be strengthened by getting all the funding bodies to live up to their statutory obligations to the NDDC.
Sharing his own experience, the representative of Ningi Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, Hon Abdullahi Abdulkadir, said that the Arigidi Akoko-Okeagbe Road gave him a good first impression of the activities of the NDDC.
He said: “We saw the road being constructed by the NDDC and we saw the extent and quality of the project. I give kudos to the NDDC because it is not just constructing or rehabilitating the road, it is laying a foundation for a road that will stand the test of time. The concrete drainages on the road will go a long way to guarantee a long span for the road.”
Abdulkadir said that the NDDC deserved to get legislative support to enhance its performance, noting that the Niger Delta region was very critical to the economy of Nigeria and it was in the best interest of lawmakers to see that the region prospered.
Also speaking on the NDDC road, the representative of Ogbia Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State, Hon Fred Obua, applauded the NDDC for giving the people of Akoko North East and Akoko North West LGAs a solid road.
He said: “The NDDC as an interventionist agency, is doing well, particularly as it has to do with what we saw at the construction site. If the Commission continues that way, I believe that it will meet up with the yearnings of the Niger Delta people.
