The Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, Hon Obarilomate Ollor, has decried the failure of the federal government to fix the Eleme section of the East-West road.
Hon Ilor expressed his dissatisfaction with the state of the road in a chat with newsmen Friday, July 16, 2021, during a brief meeting between some stakeholders from Eleme and the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment. The committee had earlier visited the Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone at Onne.
The deplorable state of the road has lasted for too long, the council Chairman lamented, despite the huge revenue generated by the federal government owned corporations located in Eleme, stressing that the road has been abandoned and has become a death trap for road users.
He appealed for the quick intervention of the committee by urging the federal government to immediately commence construction work on the road.
He also frowned on the multi-nationals companies operating in the area but hide under the cover of the Oil and Gas Free Zone, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other major multi-nationals companies to renege on their corporate social responsibilities, noting that the people of the area have suffered from the activities and other hazards from the operations of those companies.
Hon Ollor further appealed to the committee to prevail on the companies operating in the area to provide them with steady power supply, employments and infrastructural developments for the development of the area.
The council boss pointed out that for the federal government and the companies to enjoy a smooth business relationship, the local government must be carried along in terms of development and social responsibility programmes.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Francis Fadahunsi in his response, said the Eleme section of the East-West road is as important as those of Apapa Port and Tin Can roads in Lagos and promised to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to the deplorable state of the road.
He promised to meet with his counterparts, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works and Senator Babatunde Fashola, the minister of works whom he said would do something urgent about it if his attention is drawn to the state of the road. “What he did for Apapa and Tin Can roads will be applicable to this road”, he noted.
Senator Fadahunsi who highlighted the huge potentials of the road, appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike not to exclude the Eleme road in his developmental strides on account of being a federal road. He however, commended the governor for his performance, saying he is the best among his equals.
