Dave Umahi
The President General of the Abavo Clan Union, Mr. Justine Onyeibe, has urged the Federal Government, to complete the abandoned Agbor-Amukpe road dualisation project to curb the surge in criminal activity and economic paralysis in the region.
Addressing a media conference in Abavo, Delta State, Onyeibe stated that the terrible state of the 10-year-old project has created a “kidnappers’ perfect hunting ground,” making commuters “sitting ducks for ambush.”
“The terrible, potholed, single-lane stretches, often reduced to a muddy track during rains, is not just an inconvenience; it is the single greatest enabler of criminal activity in our region,” Onyeibe declared before traditional rulers, community leaders, and the press.
He revealed that the contract for the vital economic corridor was awarded in two sections in 2014, with Messrs CCECC handling the Agbor-Amukpe section where Abavo is situated. While contractors were mobilised between 2015 and 2016, the project has since been abandoned.
Onyeibe described the human and economic cost of the neglect, painting a picture of “perishable dreams” where agricultural produce like yam, cassava, plantain, and tomatoes “rot in heaps by the roadside” because farmers cannot get them to distant markets.
“The dualisation of this road is nothing short of a revolution for Abavo,” he asserted, outlining its profound potential impact on Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry.
He argued that a completed road would slash transport costs, attract large-scale agro-investors and processing plants, create jobs for the youth, and transform Abavo from a bypassed town into a commercial hub. It would also provide quicker access to healthcare and education.
Calling the project “a covenant with the people,” Onyeibe urged the government to see it through to timely completion.
“Our message to the Federal Government is simple and clear: Eliminate the scourge of kidnapping on this highway by completing its dualisation,” he stated emphatically.
He charged the media to act as watchdogs and amplifiers of the community’s struggle, ensuring the road’s story becomes one of “prosperity, growth, and development.”
