
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio has expressed his commitment and that of the National Assembly in completing the East-West Road and supporting the development of the Niger Delta region.
Akpabio revealed that the East-West Road’s completion during his stint as Niger Delta Affairs Minister, was hindered by stakeholders from Ogoni who petitioned the President to transfer the project to the Ministry of Works, despite securing N75 billion for its completion.
The Senate President who disclosed this on Friday at the ongoing Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit convoked by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in Port Harcourt, emphasized the need for the region to be defined by more than just oil, but also by agriculture, education, artificial intelligence, and empowerment.
Akpabio who also represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the event, praised the NDDC’s efforts under Dr. Samuel Ogbuku and announced that the President’s approval of a N1 trillion soft loan for NDDC to complete ongoing projects.
The Senate President also mentioned the inclusion of railway lines in the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project for easier goods movement and reiterated the National Assembly’s commitment to supporting the development of the Niger Delta region, acknowledging its importance as the “goose that lays the golden eggs” that has been neglected for too long.
He said, “East-West Road would have been completed under my tenure as the Minister of Niger Delta during the last administration, but some stakeholders from Ogoni extraction went and met the President that they don’t want the road to be completed by me under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, but Ministry of Works, under Babatunde Fashola.
“By then, I had already secured N75 billion from Sukuk for the road, and so the President had the road transferred to the Ministry of Works which had no single budget for the East-West Road. From the day the East-West Road was withdrawn from the Ministry of Niger Delta, no significant progress has been made on that road till date. It saddens me when the narrative of the East-West is mentioned.
“The East-West Road will be completed and the National Assembly under my leadership will do everything possible to complete the road.
“The President has approved a soft loan of N1 trillion for NDDC to complete all ongoing projects. We at the National Assembly are satisfied with the work that the NDDC under Dr. Samuel Ogbuku is doing and we will continue to support you.
“The NDDC must empower the region, let us not only be known for crude oil, but also for agriculture and the ability to feed the region. We shouldn’t be defined only by oil but by education, artificial intelligence, agriculture, empowerment, etc.
“Railway lines will be included in the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project for easier movement of goods across the country. It is our time to shine in the region. We at the National Assembly remain committed to supporting the development of the Niger Delta, being the goose that lays the golden eggs that have been neglected for a long.”
Earlier, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Abubakar Momoh, who assured of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the development of the region urged for collaboration among federal agencies in the region.
“There are so many federal agencies in the region ranging from NCDMB, HYPREP, NDBDA, OGFZA, etc and so there must be collaboration between NDDC and other federal agencies operating in the region for a sustainable and meaningful development in the region.”
For his part, the former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, cautioned against duplication of projects by NDDC, urging the Commission to collaborate with state governors.
Duke also advocated for productivity on the part of the people of the Niger Delta region.