Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has been urged to take over repairs of the deplorable 70-kilometer Sapele-Agbor federal road in Delta state.
A lecturer at the Delta State University and chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr Paul Bebenimibo made a passionate appeal in an open letter to the governor, urging him to emulate his Ogun state counterpart Dapo Abiodun who allegedly fixed a similar length of the Lagos Abeokuta expressway.
He said the deplorable state of the road was making life unbearable for staff, students of the state-owned universities in Abraka, Agbor, and other motorists, stressing that its sad condition was also responsible for security challenges motorists contend with regularly on the route and food insecurity in the nation.
The university don noted that the road was impacting negatively on the university in the two state-owned universities on the route, adding that it has also made commercial vehicles plying the route hike fares.
“I know it is a federal road which the federal government has worked on in the last 12 years or more. However, this road is right in the middle of Delta state, cutting across eight local government areas, including your local government, Okpe local government. Others are Ika South, Ika North east, Ukwani, Ethiope East, Sapele, and Ughelli North local government areas. It is shorter to use from Asaba to Osubi.
“If truth be told the unpalatable condition of the road is a major contributor to the high cost of agricultural products in the state and other parts of the country. The rickety state of the road also contributes to prevailing insecurity in the state.
” And a significant contributor to the high cost of education. The present state of the road is killing education in Delta State as two universities namely Delta State University, Abraka, and the University of Delta, Agbor are situated along the road. Staff and students find it difficult to use the road right now.
“Your Excellency sir the reason for not intervening on the road that it is a federal road is untenable. It is Deltans that use this road, Deltans own farms along this road and it is Deltans that are suffering.
“Your Excellency sir it is time for you to approach President Bola Tinubu to allow you to work on this road. Your colleague Prince Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state acted similarly lately, taking over the reconstruction of the 70 kilometers Lagos to Abeokuta expressway.
“I respectfully remind you that former governor of Rivers state, Chief Nyensom Wike now Hon Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, constructed 12 flyovers on Federal roads in Rivers state to ease traffic in the south-south state. You can borrow a leaf from these two great men”.
