Written By: Anthony Miens Demebide
The atmospheric setting of the Ayakoromo bridge project heaps up on very agitating minds and souls as one begin to ponder if the Delta State Government in democratic sense made a budgetary provision for the completion of this economically important project.
It’s heart-disturbing to learn on each passing day how the state government has made folly of Deltans with mere promises repeatedly to Burutu Local Government Area, and Delta Ijaw at large without actualization except personal needs of the ruling class.
I may not know the parameters to measure the amount of work done on project as this but the state government in statement through its Commissioner for Information, Hon. Asia pinned it at 65.5 percent completed in 2020, and promised an upscale in 2021, and ensure that project is completed in 2023.
In practical and pragmatic terms, the upward review was made. The contract cost was upviewed from #6.5Bn to #10.5Bn with 15 months Ultimatum to complete the bridge. This was made at the first state Executive Council Meeting in 2022 which presided by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
Just like the Bomadi bridge which was executed by Chief James Ibori’s administration that links several local government areas, the Ayakoromo bridge when completed will connect and promote the socio-economic lives across over four local government areas.
The easy market accessibility is very paramount in this discourse. Taking the Boubogbene community, well-known in the production of palm oil can be boosted in commercial supply to Warri and its environs, in Okwagbe market in Ughelli North, and even in the hinterlands.
Governor Okowa’s pronouncements of meanness by his government to complete the bridge were applauded but what comes after is inherence of a democratic unseriousness mirroring non-commersurating workdone to the captions on the papers.
The Niger Delta Region is the most oppressed and struck in adject poverty in Nigeria, and the riverine communities mostly populated by the Izon-speaking people top the chart as to underdevelopment with too many infrastructural deficiencies such as drinkable water, road, hospital, school, electricity, etc.
For the survival of the Nigerian democracy, the bidding of the ruled should have feeling and sense of belonging from the government of the day with the provision of the above, not on political considerations.
Today, the Ayakoromo bridge project is still a shadow of itself after the upward review of the contract cost and consequential ultimatum of 15 months to complete it.
This again hands me the basis to distrust the Okowa-led-second-term. The state government from indications has highlighted the bridge has a top electioneering campaign anchor.
In a very mind-blowing episode, the Delta State House of Assembly earlier in February, 2022 approved the request of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to borrow the sum of #150 Billion for the state government just 13 months to the end of his second term with view to “principally settle the arrears of unpaid certificates earned by contractors with respect to the completion of some critical ongoing legacy projects awarded by past and present administrations in the state.”
What bothers the mind from the above is the probability of the Ayakoromo bridge inclusion frayed by the nonchalant attitude of the state government towards this only feasible project.
Lack of prompt release of funds is one of the reasons the completion of this project has stalled for a very long time.
In continuity of my efforts and those of the #CompleteAyakoromoBridge team to always call on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to fulfill his campaign promises made to Deltans especially Burutu LGA, I recently journeyed to the project to see how much work has been done since after the upscale of the contract cost but what I saw was no near good news as construction workers are still gabalizing around a set of pillars.
It’s our humble plea to His Excellency to match his words with action as regards the completion and commissioning of this project as lately promised as one of the resolutions reached in the first State Executive Council Meeting in January 2022 presided over by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, we do hope so that the road master would do the needful as the political clock would have its pendulum read the time for just a year to the end of his administration.
See the present state of the bridge⤵️
