22 March 2013, Benin City – Angry youth from Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State, Thursday, stormed the venue for the commissioning of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC-executed Obazogbe-Abudu Road project, disrupting proceedings.
The youths carried placards with inscriptions, condemning NDDC for attempting to commission what they described as an uncompleted project.
The project is the 24-kilometre road that terminated at Abudu on the Benin-Asaba express Road.
Food and drinks meant for the ceremony were returned to Benin by NDDC officials as the protesting youths waited until the already arranged canopies were dismantled.
A traditional rulers in the area, Enogie of Obazagbon, HRH Moses Omobude, alleged that a borehole and an electricity project being executed by NDDC in the past seven years were yet to be completed.
“How can they be commissioning a road yet to be completed? The slabs on the gutter leading to our houses are yet to be covered.
“The era of deceit is over. If we allow them to commission the uncompleted work, they might not come back to complete it,” he said.
But, the NDDC Director, Project Monitoring and Supervision, Mr. Okenwa Alexander, said the road project as awarded had been completed.