POLITICS
Stakeholders Slam NDDC Over Failed Road Project
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have taken a swipe at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over collapse of the Amuokpokpor-Elume community road, in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State
According to an online newspaper, Natiinal Waves findings, the newly constructed road started collapsing after one year of being completed.
On account of this development, the people of the community have appealed to the NDDC to resume work on the collapsed road connecting the agrarian community to other parts of the council.
The community made the appeal while interacting with newsmen following their continuous complaints about the deplorable state of the road, loss of life, and paralysis of their economic activities just a year after its completion by the contractor.
Daniel Ogbodo, the community chairman, who recounted how the project started in 2020, alleged that the contractor used substandard materials to carry out the project, resulting in its outright failure after one year of completion.
According to the community chairman, the road constitutes a “death trap” owing to the presence of heaps of stones, exposed construction iron, and no drainage.
“At the project’s inception, the community was filled with jubilation, knowing the struggles residents had faced with poor road conditions for years.
“we were surprised that the newly constructed concrete paved road did not last a year before deteriorating, leaving the community in a worse state than before the contractor’s intervention”
Community elder Olu Majelele and Felix Emuobonuvie, President General of Elume District, urged NDDC to revisit the site and construct a good road, bemoaning the immense hardship resulting from the road’s deplorable condition.
They highlighted the challenges caused by the poor road conditions, including frequent falls and delayed vehicular movement.
“Currently, the Amuokpokpor road is almost impassable because the rods and other metal objects utilized in its construction has resurfaced. This has resulted in the bursting of motorcycle and vehicle tyres. Consequently, no one wants to ride their motorcycle or drive their vehicle into the village for fear of punctured tyres.
In the recent past, this road has been the site of a heartbreaking incident that led to the loss of our son, whose vehicle overturned, resulting in his instantaneous death. A visual inspection of the road reveals the existence of multiple potholes. We humbly request that the NDDC deploy their site engineer to inspect the road and provide support to the Amuokpokpor-Elume community, as this road serves as the community’s sole access route, Majelele and Emuobonuvie submitted.
On behalf of the women in the community, Mrs. Mercy Izobo and Mrs. Bridget Emuobonuvie shared the difficulties they experienced in conveying their goods to market.
According to the women, the men and women of Amuokpokpor are involved in farming various crops, including cassava, rubber, timber, fishery, plantain, snails, yam, palm oil, among others, but encounter difficulties in marketing their processed products due to the prohibitive transportation costs, as drivers demand a hundred percent fare increase, attributing it to the bad road conditions, leading to spoilage of their farm produce at home.
Others who also spoke, including John Otuma, Samuel Izobo, Comedy Ogbodo, Richard Edi, among others, commended the NDDC for initiating the road project in their community, but appealed to them to address their concerns and complete the road project to transform the community landscape and enhance economic activities in the area.
The Labour Party governorship candidate in Anambra State, George Moghalu, has charged the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to use Saturday’s election to redeem its image.
Moghalu gave this charge on Thursday while speaking in an interview on Channels Television monitored by.
INEC had scheduled November 8 for the conduct of the off-cycle governorship poll in Anambra State, where the incumbent governor, Charles Soludo, is seeking re-election for another four years.
16 political parties have been cleared by the electoral commission for the exercise, including the LP.
“Let’s give INEC the benefit of doubt. It would be most unfair of me to come here and write it off.
It has the responsibility to deliver free, fair and credible elections to the people of Anambra.“Let me say very emphatically that it is an opportunity for INEC to redeem its image. It is INEC’s responsibility to do what is right and restore the confidence of the people in our election,” Moghalu said.
According to him, trouble makers, including members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, have no power to truncate the election.
He, however, appealed to security operatives to be professional in the discharge of their duties, as well as create an enabling environment for voters to exercise their franchise on Saturday.
“The confidence is that the security agencies, once they become professional and do what they are expected to do, I’m certain that we have peace and a credible environment to have peace.
“I believe also, the IPOB, ESN, or whatever they go by, they don’t have the capacity to stop our election. The point I’m making here, since I have the platform, is to appeal to the security agencies to be very professional. Do what is right, provide security, provide the enabling environment,” he added.
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Loyalists of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike have purportedly postponed the Ekiti State gubernatorial primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) earlier scheduled for Saturday, November 8th, 2025.
They said the primary election was postponed due to logistics issues.
This was disclosed in a letter signed by one Abdulrahman Mohammed and the suspended National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
The letter was addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan.
The letter reads: “We wish to inform you that the PDP Ekiti State Congress and Governorship primary slated for November 8th, 2025, has been postponed due to logistics reasons constraining this exercise.
“A new date will be formally communicated when decided.
“Please accept the assurances of my esteemed regards. Kindly refer to our earlier letter to the commission on this subject matter.”
By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
Senator Ita Enang has said that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) should not be blamed should Nigeria drift into One Party State, blaming defecting politicians instead.
Speaking yesterday with journalists, the former Special Adviser to President Buhari on Senate Matters stated that
Nigeria is not becoming a one-party state by any machination of the APC or the Tinubu administration, stressing that it is happening because other political parties have failed to survive as true institutions.
“Most of them exist for a week or two in the news and disappear. Some collapse under internal disputes; others are bought up or enjoined by court orders.
“So, what party do you expect people to belong to? Naturally, they gravitate toward the one that is functional.
“My only concern is the status of members of the National Assembly and state assemblies who defect without a declared divisions in their parties.
“The Constitution is clear: if there is no court-declared division, and you leave your party, you lose your seat — whether it is formally declared vacant or not.
“The Supreme Court has affirmed that such defectors must even refund all salaries and allowances collected after defection”, he said.
Reflecting on the 2024 capital component which has barely 56 days left, Senator Ita Enang faulted its implementation with revenue generated in 2025, insisting that such affected projects should have been rolled into the 2025 fiscal year and budgetary provisions .
” Each year’s revenue should fund that year’s expenditure. Projects not completed in 2024 should have been rolled over and captured in the 2025 budgetary provisions .
“The reality is that the federal government does not have enough money to fund its responsibilities which is making it to borrow money for budget deficit funding .
” But the year of budget implementation and revenue generation supposed to have been same , not what we have at hand now where capital component of 2024 budget , is being implemented by revenue generated in 2025 due to extension of implementation of its life span from December 31st 2024 to December 31st , 2025 “, he said.
He however stated that the borrowing plans of the federal government, were in order , particularly those meant for funding budget deficit .
“To my knowledge, every budget — including those of 2024 and 2025 — has always contained a deficit, and provision for borrowing to fund that deficit. So, the current borrowings were anticipated in the Appropriation Act”, he said .
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