HON. COMMISSIONER FOR WORKS DELTA STATE - WHERE ARE THE ROADS?

THE DUAL CARRIAGEWAY  UGHELLI - ASABA ROAD THE STATE GOVERNMENT IS ASKING FOR REFUND

Federal Roads: Delta Government Requests N40bn refund 

“But who is asking any question.

Media is on sabbatical and

Civil society is on vacation.” ~ Prof. Pat Utomi

I bought the first News Magazine when I was in secondary school – “Newswatch: A Nation in darkness” those were the years when the pen was indeed mightier than the gun. The fear of a Journalist was the beginning of doing the right thing for public office holders. It was not surprising therefore that the first and perhaps the only known assignation via a letter bomb in Nigeria targeted a Journalist the indomitable Dele Giwa.

Those were the days of investigative journalism, when you can take what a journalist publishes to the bank. Today the story is a far cry from what it used to be, journalist no longer investigate. We are in the era of arm chair journalism.  

Many attribute the death in effective journalism to fear and the almighty stomach infrastructure. Many journalists have met their untimely deaths while on the job. The death of Dimgba Igwe is still being investigated and the massive hurricane called corruption also struck the journalism profession.

I have always maintained that the arrogance exhibited by public office holders is largely due to the fact that they are not accountable to anyone as nobody is asking them questions. When they pretend to account to the people they insult our collective sensibility by making claims they cannot substatiate and that is how I classify the claim by Delta State Commissioner for Works Rt. Hon. Solomon Funkekeme asking the Federal Government to refund of 40 Billion Naira for federal roads he claims the state have worked on. And Journalist will publish same without asking questions.

 From the Honorable Commissioners’ postulation a kilometer of road must have gulped about 134 Million from the state coffers. One of the roads the state government is asking for refund is the 149 Kilometer Asaba – Ughelli road. The last time I passed that road, it’s in a state of disrepair.

The Honorable Commissioner went on to say “The Emmanuel Uduaghan's government has constructed 2000 kilometers of roads and drains.” The question again “Where are the roads” amazingly the Commissioner railed out amounts spent on completed and ongoing road projects that are mostly on paper.

I have driven to Asaba the State capital by road from the Eku – Abraka – Agbor axis, that road is bad. From the Ughelli – Asaba axis that too is bad. I stated in a recent article that “A Civil Servant recently made a trip to Imo State and concluded that in Delta State we had wasted Eight Years. That may be harsh, but he is not far from the truth as almost all roads in the State – Inter and Intra City – are in various stages of disrepair and we all know that no meaningful development can take place without a good road network and none exist in Delta State”

Prof. Utomi put it correctly when he said “But who is asking any question. Media is on sabbatical and civil society is on vacation. Let the Hon. Commissioner take Journalist on a trip and show the world the amazing road network in Delta State that our Amiable Governor who is set to finish strong had constructed in Delta State.

In the Traditional African society, we speak the truth, we caution our children when they stray. Village meetings are called to buttress the point if need be. Why and how had we slumped so low that we play the proverbial three Monkeys who “See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Say No Evil. Many of the top Government officials use the deplorable roads to Asaba the State Capital weekly including the Hon. Commissioner of works, are we saying that we love the roads the way they are? Why are we deceiving Uduaghan that he is finishing strong?

Even if others are fooling His Excellency, am sure he uses the roads himself, is he satisfied with the state of roads in the State? Has he not visited Akwa Ibom recently? Is he truly certain he is finishing strong with a myriad of unfinished projects especially of roads across the State?

His Excellency comes from a family, he belongs to a Community, he’s from a Local Government Area, he attends a Church, He has Friends, he has associates, if none had called him to tell him some home truth, then His Excellency you have indeed done well.