The apex Ogoni socio-political group, the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), has again decried the state of the East-West road, accusing the federal government of paying lip service to the project.
In a statement on Tuesday signed by its Publicity Secretary, Imeabe Oscar, MOSOP said the rate of accidents on the Eleme axis of the East-West Road has become worrisome, saying that it would no longer keep silent.
The statement said several lives have been lost because of the slow pace of work on the project despite the huge revenue accruing to the federal government from that axis of the road.
The group said it has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government and Reynolds Construction Company to fix the road or be ready for a total shutdown of the road.
“It is worrisome that despite the huge revenue accruing from within the Ogoni ethnic nationality, especially the Onne Oil & Gas Free Trade Zone which houses hundreds of companies, the Eleme Petrochemical Company, Eleme Refinery and other Federal, State and private assets, the entire stretch of the road had remained in a sorry state and a nightmare to travellers. The road is now a death trap for the Ogoni people.
“Also recall that only recently, a fatal fire accident occurred on that road which destroyed over 100 vehicles and claimed many lives which resulted from the bad nature of the road and several other deaths that can’t be accounted for which occur daily on that road.
“The government’s silence and inaction are appalling because we had expected that President Bola Tinubu at this point would have prioritized the completion of the road, but it seems that’s the opposite.
“As voices and representatives of the Ogoni People, we are greatly disturbed that the Federal Government has neglected this vital road that links Rivers to other Southern states for too long and we can’t take it anymore and the time for action is now" the statement said.
“We are giving the Federal Government a 14-day grace period beginning from today, to fine-tune whatever arrangements it has with RCC and return to site as Ogoni People are no longer interested in the politics going on with the company and the Federal Ministry of Works. All we need is speedy completion of that road, or we shall shut it down completely and cripple economic activities in that entire zone on the 3rd of September 2024.
“We call on all Ogonis to get ready and prepare for massive protest on the 3rd of September 2024 at the Eleme section of the East-West Road at the expiration of this ultimatum. The federal government has taken Ogoni for granted for too long, and we can’t accept that any longer. The time to save our land is now, and we must act" the statement added.
