Benin: Mr Patrick Aisowieren, the Commissioner Representing Edo State on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Board, stated on Friday that the Abraka-Oben road project has not been completed. During a briefing with newsmen in Benin, Aisowieren clarified that the Minister of Regional Development, Mr Abubakar Momoh, had only commissioned the first phase of the 9.8-kilometre Abraka-Oben road. This initial phase concludes between Edo and Delta states near Evbuesi village.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Aisowieren mentioned that future phases of the project are planned, with the second phase extending from Evbuesi to Ugo, including a spur at Oben. He addressed protests by the Ugu Youths Development for Change, who alleged that the minister had inaugurated a non-existent road project. He emphasized that the protesting youths had misrepresented the facts about the road’s progress and status, clarifying that the project remains ongoing and incomplete.
He further explained that the federal government had neither completed nor commissioned the road, noting that work on the project is being carried out in phases. Aisowieren confirmed that the NDDC and other partners are collaborating to improve the living conditions of the region’s people through ongoing infrastructure projects.
The commissioner highlighted that the Oben section of the road project is still incomplete and criticized the misleading narrative propagated by the protesting youths. He also pointed out that work on the Orhionmwon section of the Oben-Umugun road, which connects to the Benin-Abraka highway, has not yet begun. Aisowieren commended the Minister for prioritizing these roads in the 2024 budget and assured the public that the link roads would soon be developed.
It is worth noting that Comrade Monday Osemwenkhae, leader of the protesting youths, had earlier led journalists on a tour of the community to assess the true state of the road.