The Ijaw community of Gelegele in Edo’s Ovia North-East has called on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to revisit and complete the long-abandoned Udo-Ufunoma-Enikura-Gwilebu road project.
The project, abandoned for more than 11 years, remained crucial to the area’s development.
The community, comprising over 100 settlements, remained cut off due to the road’s non-completion, exacerbating their economic and social isolation.
Mr Omaghomi Olu-Derimon, Chairman of the Gelegele Executive Council, made this appeal during a breakfast meeting with selected media practitioners.
Olu-Derimon urged the NDDC to ensure development reaches oil-producing communities, not just states or local councils.
He criticised the NDDC for repeatedly excluding oil-producing communities from its intervention projects, stating that the agency has not met its core aim of developing the Niger Delta and the wider South-South region.
It is regrettable that those laying the golden egg are sidelined, while non-oil areas enjoy benefits meant for oil communities.
Olu-Derimon said that previous agencies like OMPADEC were meant to support development in oil-rich areas but often failed to do so effectively.
“The NDDC, too, has not met its core aim of developing the Niger Delta and the wider South-South region.
“Considering the funds received, the development gap in this region is far too wide and unacceptable,” he said.
He however, acknowledged improvements in the current NDDC administration, describing it as a step forward.
“There appears to be more focus and progress under the current leadership of the NDDC,” he said.
The community urged the NDDC and state government to complete the Udo-Ufunoma-Enikura-Gwilebu road project, describing it as a vital gateway to riverine communities in the area.
‘These communities suffer terribly during the rainy season,” Olu-Derimon said.
