Sam Akpan


By Sam Akpan in his Column 'Uncensored'


Moving human beings, animals and goods around Nigeria has become another thing entirely especially with the stress associated with the high cost of petroleum products, the insecurity that abound on the roads and the very bad roads traversing the nooks and crannies of the country.


Talking about moving people, animals and goods around the country, we have four major ways, road, rail, air and riverine means of transportation. Thus transportation plays a very important role in any nation's economy. Movements generally also help to improve the living standards, education and new opportunities for innovation and enterprise.


Now coming down to the South-South Region of the nation which is the cash cow when it comes to the overall income the nation depends upon.It is no longer news that the Niger Delta region through its oil and gas contributes more than 95% of Nigeria's foreign exchange revenues. Gone are the days when cash crops from other regions were on top of the revenue base of the Country.


Lest I get engrossed in oil and gas issues, let me return to my primary focus today which is on how residents of the oil rich region move around doing their daily chores. One steady truth is that, in recent times, it has become pretty difficult to move around within the South-South region owing to the sort of attendant stress associated with road travels within the region.


Let's for once, forget the terrifying experience from the various road blocks mounted by the police, other security operatives, local vigilantes and the uncultured touts who take delight in blocking the highways with logs and old tyres in the name of pursuing road taxes and emblems of all sorts


The South South governors from the six states that set up the BRACED Commission as far back as 1999 met some three months ago. The purpose is to chart a new course for the socio-economic development of the zone. After then, nothing much has been heard again. The meeting which was held in Bayelsa State was hosted by Douye Diri and had the other South South governors in attendance.


The highpoint of the meeting includes, praising President Bola Tinubu for commencing the construction of the coastal road from Lagos to Calabar and appealing for its speedy completion. The other is to expedite work on the East-West road which had become terrifying to road users, especially on the Edo-Delta-Bayelsa-Rivers axis and the Itu-Odukpani-Calabar axis.


Though the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi came around to check the extent of damage done to the ever busy road at different segments, work has remained slow as ever, that's if it's actually going on. Motorists and commuters lament everyday for the stress and torture they are subjected to when on the road. Governor Douye Diri also joined in the lamentation when he got caught up on the road not too long ago. It took him more than four hours to get to Port Harcourt from Yenagoa instead of the normal one hour or less. Imagine, if a sitting governor had to suffer that much even with the attendant sirens, bravadoes and escorts, what would the ordinary road users say? Little wonder then that drivers and their vehicles spend days or even weeks in the lingering bad portions of the road.


For those plying the Itu-Odukpani- Calabar axis, that's a different story as the one hour trip takes nothing less than 6-8 hours to navigate through, that's if your vehicle did not break down or get stuck as a result of the terrible state of the road.


Since rail transportation within the region is non-existent, let's not bother to mention the immense benefits it could have brought especially when the roads have failed the people since.


In a recent interview with newsmen in Uyo, former Presidential Aide, Senator Ita Enang accused the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel for failing to support the speedy completion of the portion of the road that passed through his state as he defaulted in the payment of compensations to those affected on the road corridors.


There is no adequate riverine transportation linking the BRACED states. What we have is a pocket of ferry and flying boat services that ply limited routes within the region. No deliberate, comprehensive arrangement is put on ground for inter state connectivity.


The chairman of the Commission, governor Godwin Obaseki whose tenure will be ending soon, has in conjunction with his colleagues, consistently hammered on the original goal of the commission which is to promote regional, socio-economic development, security, peaceful co-existence and integration.


His state, Edo is one of the worst hit by very dilapidated roads which cuts across virtually the entire state, hindering not only the movement of people but even the critical foodstuff often cultivated in large volumes from the hinterlands.


With the way the South South people are limited and couched to their respective states, can these goals be achievable? Definitely not. The BRACED governors have obviously failed their people for not achieving the much desired regional integration. Every state seems to be on its own. Little wonder that food became an issue in the region when some of the states that have excess of certain foodstuff could not readily send some extras across, because of the bad roads which hinders movements within the zone.


When the six South South governors meet again, they should be able to tell themselves the stark truth without pretending, with the kind of extra income hitting their accounts these months, courtesy of the increased revenue from the Federal Appropriations Allocation Committee (FAAC), it would not be a bad idea for them to muster resources to intervene in the problem of failed roads in their states, while still engaging the Federal government for thorough reconstruction works across the region.


It took a terrible accident to occur in April this year at the Petrochemical-Eleme axis of the East-West road when a tanker laden with petrol exploded killing scores and destroying hundreds of vehicles before help came from the Rivers State government and others. This singular incident led to the quick temporary fixing of the failed portions of the ever busy road.


In Akwa Ibom State, the government of the day through the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ini Ememobong, while having a private chat with me openly boasted that no State within the region and beyond can beat the state when it comes to smooth and solid internal roads. This according to him has made the indigenes and visitors alike, fall in love with the State when navigating across the length and breadth of the oil rich State.


However, some watchers of the South-South governors as a body have advised that they could decide to push back some shame by approaching the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) management to assist in providing stop gap measures for some vital roads that have failed within the region. This may however not work at this point in time as the Commission has an array of abandoned projects which also needs to be completed before the tenure of the current Board expires.


Alternatively, instead of quickly commending the Federal government for the ongoing Lagos - Calabar coastal road as they did, it would have been nice for the governors to demand the urgent completion of the East-West Road which cuts across all the six states before requesting that the coastal road which has a longer completion lifespan should also commence from the Calabar axis. The coastal road appears to have relegated the East-West Road, which was awarded some ‘donkey’ years ago to the backyard.


In addition to the request by the BRACED governors for a rail line linking Lagos to Calabar from the President, a regional Air connectivity would really not be a bad idea, though this may sound really elitist as the cost of navigating to other parts of the Country from the region through air transportation is not by any means cheap, but could cause a major financial dent in one's pocket. However, if the States’ helms men are determined, they could find a way of exploring the use of light aircrafts and mini airstrip, to help in moving people and goods at affordable rate, pending when the roads will finally be fixed, though I must add, that this will somehow be herculean.


LAST NOTE:

This is coincidental that my senior daughter, Naomi, is a year older today. Let me seize the opportunity to drop a birthday prayer for her. More grace on you dear, even as you pursue your goals on earth.



credit: Southernexaminer.com