The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has flagged off the re-construction of the 18-kilometre Owaza-Uzuaku-144 Battalion-Afam Junction Road in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State.

Speaking during the flag-off ceremony in Owaza, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, assured the people of the Commission’s determination to bring development and hope to Niger Deltans in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Ogbuku who was represented by the Abia State Representative on the NDDC Governing Board, Chief Eruba Dimgba, said that the Commission, as an interventionist agency, was committed to fast-tracking development in the Niger Delta region.

The NDDC Chief Executive Officer, said that the road would have a major impact on the lives of the people and rejuvenate the communities that had suffered many years of neglect, in spite of being in the oil-producing belt of the state.

He urged the benefitting communities to support and cooperate with the contractor to ensure that the project was completed on schedule.

Ogbuku thanked the communities in Ukwa West council area for appreciating the efforts of the NDDC, promising that the Commission would continue to execute projects that would enhance the living conditions in Niger Delta communities.

He observed that the 18-kilometre road set for re-construction had been in deplorable condition for many years, impacting negatively on the socio-economic activities of the area.

In his remarks, the traditional ruler of Etiti Onha Owaza, Eze Obioma Nworgu, thanked the NDDC for the emergency re-construction of the road which he said was “a death-trap for commuters and a feasting ground for criminals.”

He said: “I commend the NDDC for this intervention and many other projects executed in Abia State. I am appealing that our children should be carried along in the NDDC’s scholarship programme, empowerments and employments.”

He also appealed to the Commission to include his community in the on-going installation of electricity facilities, especially solar-powered lights, in Niger Delta communities.

Giving a brief on the project, the Head Project Monitoring and Supervision in the NDDC Abia State office, Engr. Kingsley Azu, said that the 18-kilometre road, with concrete drains, would traverse many communities, including Owaza, Okohia, Uzuaku, Umuelechi and Ezendioma.

The President of National Youth Council of Ukwa West LGA, Mr. Alwell Nwagbara, assured the NDDC that the youths would protect the project and ensure that conducive environment was provided for the contractor to operate optimally.

The Chief Executive of the company handling the project, Dr. Matt Offeh, said that the road was very important for the oil-producing communities in Abia State. He commended the NDDC for spreading development across the Niger Delta region.