? Begs FG to intervene and end ordeal

The Abavo Community in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State on Friday, raised concern over the abandoned Agbor-Amukpe road dualisation project, saying it has led to an increase in criminal activity and economic paralysis in the region.

The community said that the terrible condition of the 10-year-old project has created a "kidnapper?s perfect hunting ground," making commuters "sitting ducks for ambush."

At a press conference held at the Market Square, the President-General of Abavo Clan Union, Justine Onyeibe, said that the contract for the vital economic corridor was awarded in two sections in 2014, with Messrs CCECC handling the Agbor-Amukpe section where the community is situated.

According to him, while contractors were mobilised between 2015 and 2016, the project has since been abandoned.

"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 media.

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, even as it would also provide quicker access to healthcare and education.

Describing the project as "a covenant with the people," Onyeibe called on the government to see it through to timely completion.

He said: "Our message to the Federal Government is simple and clear: Eliminate the scourge of kidnapping on this highway by completing its dualisation. The state of this road is not just an inconvenience; it is the single greatest enabler of criminal activity in our region. The terrible, potholed, single-lane stretches, often reduced to a muddy track during rains, is a kidnapper?s perfect hunting ground. It forces traffic to slow to a crawl, making vehicles sitting ducks for ambush. It creates isolated, deserted stretches where criminals can operate for hours without fear of interruption or security patrols. This abandoned project has inadvertently designed a security nightmare. Every crater-filled stretch is a potential trap. Every overgrown bush, allowed to thrive because construction halted, provides cover for men with guns and evil intentions."

Onyeibe 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."

The text of the press conference was obtained by Arise News in Abuja.

Onyeibe said: "Our lands are fertile, blessed by nature to produce some of the most bountiful harvests in the region. Our people are hardworking, innovative, and resilient.

"For decades, Abavo, on the Uromi-Amukpe Road, has been an economic hub in the heart of Delta State. Yet, for all our blessings, we have been held back by one critical, crippling constraint: inadequate road infrastructure. When the contracts for the dualisation of the Uromi-Amukpe Road were awarded in two sections, it was perceived to be a revolution that would most profoundly impact on the economic development of the Abavo people.

"The Agbor-Amukpe section that Abavo situates, was awarded to Messrs CCECC while the Uromi-Agbor section was awarded to Messrs Setraco. Awarded in 2014, the contractors were mobilised between 2015 and 2016 to commence work.

"But 10 years after, this road has been a barrier, rather than a bridge to economic transformation. The dualisation of this road is nothing short of a revolution for Abavo, and its impact will be felt most profoundly in critical areas of Agriculture, Commerce and Industry.

"The story of perishable dreams: yam, cassava, plantain, leafy vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, and many other agricultural produce that rot in heaps by the roadside; unable to reach distant markets before they spoil will disappear. This new, modern highway will be the artery that pumps life into our agricultural sector. This means more food on tables across regions and more money in the pockets of our farmers.

"The cost of transporting our famous yams, cassava, plantains, and palm produce is so high that it eats into the meager profits of our hardworking farmers; this is stunted commerce. Large-scale agro-investors look at our land with desire, but look at our road with dread, and ultimately take their investments elsewhere.

"With a smoother, faster, and more reliable connection to major markets in Warri, Benin, Asaba, Calabar, Lagos, Kano, Benin Republic, Cameroon Republic and beyond, our perishable goods will travel in hours, not days. A dual carriageway signals stability and accessibility. It will attract agri-businesses, processing plants for our cassava into garri, flour and starch, yam into flour, packaging facilities for our vegetables, and factories for our palm produce.

"With Value addition and entrepreneurship, our youth will no longer see agriculture as a sign of poverty, but as a field of opportunity. They will venture into food processing, logistics, export, and digital marketing of Abavo?s produce to a wider world. This road is a powerful tool for youth engagement and poverty alleviation. This will create jobs here, in Abavo, moving us from being mere producers of raw materials to creators of finished goods. Easier access will mean cheaper and quicker availability of farm inputs like fertilizers, seedlings, and equipment. This will empower our farmers to increase their yield and improve their practices, knowing that getting their produce to market is no longer a gamble.

"The benefits extend far beyond the farms. This road will catalyze a complete economic awakening for Abavo Town. Imagine tourists and visitors from neighbouring states easily driving in to experience our famous Festivals including the New Yam Festival, Igue and Ikaba Festivals and to buy directly from our farms. Imagine new markets springing up, new hotels welcoming visitors, and new shops servicing the increased flow of people and goods. Abavo will become a commercial hub, not a bypassed town.

"Beyond economics, this road means quicker access to healthcare facilities in the cities for emergencies. It means our children can travel to universities and return home more safely. It connects us not just to markets, but to opportunities, to knowledge, and to a better standard of living. To our partners in government, this road is more than a government project; it is a covenant with the people of Abavo. It is a promise of a future where our wealth is not trapped in our soil, but is harvested, transported, and multiplied. We say thank you for envisioning this project. We urge you to see it through to timely completion. To the contractors, we say, build with quality and with the future in mind.

"To the Media, we charge you to continue to be the watchdog and the amplifiers of this progress. Let us work together to ensure that the story of the Amukpe-Abraka-Abavo-Agbor-Uromi road becomes a new reality; a story of prosperity, of growth and development, and of a thriving Abavo, finally connected to its destiny."

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