By Obinna Uballa
Residents of Amuokpokpor-Elume in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State have cried out to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to urgently rehabilitate the community’s only access road, which caved in barely a year after completion.
The agrarian community said the failed road has become a death trap, crippling economic activities, causing frequent accidents, and leading to loss of lives and property.
According media reports on Monday, the community chairman, Mr. Daniel Ogbodo, had told journalists that the contractor engaged by the NDDC used substandard materials in executing the project, which began in 2020.
According to him, the excitement residents felt when the road was awarded turned to despair after the concrete-paved surface collapsed within one year of completion.
“The poorly drained road is riddled with loose stones and exposed iron rods, making it dangerous for both residents and visitors. This situation has left the community in a worse condition than before the contractor’s intervention,” Ogbodo lamented.
Echoing the call, community elder Mr. Olu Majelele and the president-general of Elume District, Mr. Felix Emuobonuvie, hasvsent an SOS to the NDDC to revisit the project and construct a durable road. They warned that the route has already claimed lives, including one resident whose vehicle overturned on the treacherous surface.
“Currently, the Amuokpokpor road is almost impassable. The rods and other metal objects used in its construction have resurfaced, bursting tyres of motorcycles and vehicles. Transporters now avoid the community, worsening our hardship,” they said.
Women leaders, Mrs. Mercy Izobo and Mrs. Bridget Emuobonuvie, stressed the impact on farmers, noting that skyrocketing transport costs and spoiled produce have left households in distress. “Drivers demand 100 percent fare increases because of the road condition, forcing us to abandon much of our harvest,” Izobo said.
Other residents, including John Otuma, Samuel Izobo, Comedy Ogbodo, and Richard Edi, commended the NDDC for initiating the project but urged immediate intervention. They also appealed for the road to be extended to the riverbank, with a jetty and drainage system to protect the community from flooding and landslides.
