Resource_Allocation

NDDC undertakes about 3,000 kilometers of road project, thus opening up the rural area for development Isuochi is a border community located in Umunneochi Local Government area of Abia State. This sleepy community shares boundaries with other southeastern states of Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo. More significantly, the Isuochi people travel long distances across the neighboring Imo State communities, notably, Ihube and Okigwe, to get to Umuahia, their state capital. Added to the travails associated with the long journey was a dilapidated road network, famous for its potholes. Thus, for several years, it was a nightmare to the people travelling out of their community to access both their Isuikwuato council headquarters and Umuahia. The situation persisted despite their endless cries to appropriate authorities for intervention. But the people heaved a deep sigh of relief in 2005, when NDDC eventually took over the construction of the road. Apart from currently facilitating the transportation needs of the people, the road has restored their confidence in NDDC as a sensitive interventionist agency of the federal government. "For decades, we suffered on the pothole-ridden road, with our vehicles regularly breaking down on the way. But we can now shut our eyes, while cruising on the road," Amaechi Ugwa, an excited commercial driver from the community stated. Similarly, the Ekeoba-Umudibia Road links the two next-door neighboring communities in Abia and Imo states for the first time in history. Before this, the Imo River divided them. Nneoma Uwadirioha, whose farm is on the banks of the river, said that there was celebration in both communities the day the beams of the bridge were laid. Seventy-year-old Ichie Friday Okeke said that, before the road, "We used wooden canoe to paddle across the Imo River and trek to Eke Ikpa and other places. Others used bicycles which they carried across the river." If the people of Ekeoba and Umudibia celebrated their brand-new road with fanfare, the people of Ibeno in Akwa Ibom State may never stop celebrating the Ikot-Atabrikag-Ikot Ewang-Okoroutip-Iwuoachang Eastern Obolo Road under construction by the NDDC. When completed, Kadiri Lawal, an engineer on the project, said it would span a total of 40 kilometres and connect 38 riverine communities hitherto divided by the Qua Iboe River. It has been divided into two phases and awarded to two contractors for quick completion. The first phase of 6.8kilometres with a bridge across the Qua Iboe River is expected to be completed this year. According to Joel Okpala, an engineer and the project manager, the distance being constructed by Viche Nigeria Limited was deeply excavated to about 2.5 metres and sand-filled. It has two major bridges and 12 culverts. Elder Sunday Benson-Akpan, who is already using his bic3'cle on the finished part, said, "I'm very happy. We are enjoying the road; it is helping us to move farm products from our farms to Uyo and Eket". Like Mfon, Akpan Johnson, who has a farm by the road, said, "The NDDC road has made life easier for us women. We no longer walk long distances and carry heavy loads because buses and motorcycles now enter every compound." Similarly, the Ekpene Ukpa and Ekparakwa communities in Akwa Ibom State will for a long time treasure the name of NDDC in their hall of fame for building the hitherto jinxed 11km Ekpene Ukpana Ekparakwa Road that connects both communities. Prior to this, a journey from one community to the other lasted about two long hours. Anietie Usen, corporate affairs manager of NDDC who is an indigene of the area, says that the journey now takes only seven joyful minutes. Albert Akpan Essien, 70-year-old village head of Ekpene Ukpan, said that, previously, commercial and trading activities in a once-thriving Obo Market, which attracted traders from far and wide, came to a halt and farm produce rotted away for lack of evacuation to surrounding markets. With the rehabilitation of the road, life is back on the swing for the vibrant agricultural communities. In Bayelsa State, the 18-kilometre Odi-Trofani Road project in Kolokuma-Opokuma council is another major feat of the NDDC. The road is designed to open up various communities between Odi and Trofani. It passes through major oil-producing communities and would enhance both social and economic lives of the people significantly. These are just a few teasers. (See box) For NDDC, it has been an endless success story in the area of road and rural infrastructure. And the commission, in a bid to actualise its mandate, has, unwittingly, continued to take on such ambitious projects which other contemporary institutions dread to dabble into. A case in point is the ongoing Uzere-Patani Road project which connects several communities across the Isoko clan of Delta State. This N3 billion road project throws up yet another novelty. Umeh, a seasonal water-logged community along the three-kilometer road near Uzere, had, prior to the NDDC's intervention, not seen a road network. Because of the precarious situation, the people had found themselves in, they were left with the only option of wading through the swampy and mostly water-logged road on their bicycles. It is remarkable that the area had, since 1968, been next to Oloibiri in producing oil yet it had been largely forgotten by successive governments until the NDDC commenced the construction of the road. "The benefit of this project is Company, SPDC. The road, when completed, will open up the area for exploitation of its abundant agricultural resources. Worthy of mention, however, is the fact that the commission has been able to record these strides in the Niger Delta area despite the huge financial outlay in road projects, especially when conventional standards cannot be applied in the execution of the projects. Ojum explains that the project costs differ due to varied terrain in the project areas. As a result, since a sizeable proportion of the projects is targeted at the riverine people, the cost, most often, triples, leading to the commission investing much more than what was initially estimated for a particular project. This notwithstanding, the NDDC has been able to traverse the length and breadth of the Niger Delta with its road projects, opening up communities and stimulating growth. The Turning Points Activities of the NDDC proved decisive in Odi, Oloibiri and Trofani, all in Bayelsa State Though NDDC is touching lives across the Niger Delta, its impact has been more sensitive and strategic in some communities than others. Odi, in Bayelsa State, is one of them. The military face-off with Odi youths in 1999 left the proud ancient town in ruins. Its infrastructures were destroyed and the people went on exile, abandoning the great River Nun all alone. The commission played a historic role in the restoration of Odi. It rehabilitated the East-West-Odi Road, the major land access to the town, and constructed internal concrete road to the Odi Community Secondary School, which was inaccessible. At the secondary school, NDDC also performed a feat in transformation. The commission took over a school where students literally swam to their classrooms, built it up from scratch complete with science laboratories and staff quarters. Truman Abiama, principal of the school, said the popular school suffered a setback when its old location was upgraded to a federal government college and the students were hurriedly rushed to a new location, as the government of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha could not respond to the infrastructural needs of the school. As a major part of Odi restoration, the new-look school, which is now being sought after by teachers, was commissioned on May 27, 2003. The school was formally founded in the old site in 1972. It now has a population of more than 450 students and at least 25 regular teachers with over a dozen National Youth Service Corps members. Four bungalows built by NDDC serve as staff quarters. The commission similarly provided Science equipment for the school's Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories. The commission also stepped into the abandoned Odi Water Project, which was started by the defunct OMPADEC and made it functional. Today, Odi is a vibrant town with a new energy of not only revival but confidence in the future. This confidence is further boosted by the ambitious Odi Trofani Road, also being built by the NNDC. Trofani If there is a community where the name of NDDC and President Olusegun Obasanjo will never fade, it is Trofani, a swamp-locked, energetic community on the banks of the River Nun. The 18-kilometre Odi-Trofani Road, which is nearing completion, has already opened up many communities along the way. Diamond Achoroma, a supervisor on the project, says the excavation and sand-filling ranges from five to 10 metres in different areas depending on the terrain. He explains why, "This place is a swamp; if not, we can use laterite. But because it is a swamp, we use sharp sand so that when the water comes, the sharp sand will absorb it" Between Odi and Trofani, five bridges of various sizes are being constructed. Pereire Oguma, an Odi woman whose name means rich woman, was seen at a sand-filled part, cutting up firewood with her husband, which a Ford delivery van came and evacuated for sale to other communities. She is already enjoying the dividends of the new road. "We never knew this would ever happen, thank God for NDDC," she enthused. If an Odi woman who has other access roads could say this, what would Trofani people say' The first day that the NDDC automobiles rolled into the town, it was jubilation galore. "Moto bodo! Moto bodo!" (Motor has come! Motor has come!), they rejoiced, some in tears of joy. Now, even without the road not yet completed, Trofani sons and daughters can drive home in their vehicles. Before, no matter who you are, you could only leave or return to Trofani through Patani in Delta State or through the River Nun. Joseph Martins, 12-year-old primary five pupil of Community Primary School I, Trofani, still can't believe it. "I'm excited," he said when our team did its maiden voyage to Trofani on Saturday, March 10. Similarly, 65-year-old David Agonodi, vice chairman of Trofani community, told the team more: "We are so happy to see a road from Odi to our town. It cuts down drastically the time and money we spend to travel to other communities." According to him, before the road brought a cheaper means of transport, it cost one person N 1,650 to travel from Trofani to Yenagoa, the state capital. A breakdown shows that it used to cost N400 to cross to Ajabaasa and from there to Ughelli in Delta State was N500. From Ughelli, it would cost another N600 to Yenagoa. But now through Odi, even though many walk the distance between Odi and Trofani, it costs only N150.00 to Yenagoa. Sampson Tonkunoh, 23, hopes that now that the road has brought new opportunities to town, he would realise his ambition to study Banking and Finance at the university, if he finds a sponsor. "We want God to give NDDC more money so that they can do more," Tonkunoh said. Ogbia-Nembe Road The Ogbia-Nembe Road may likely hold the record of the most ignored road project in the Niger Delta. First earmarked for construction in 1972, it remained unexecuted until NDDC and Shell started the construction of the road as a 30/70 collaborative project. Expected to be completed in 2008, the N9.6 billion projects would open up Opume, Emakalakala, Etiamam, Odioma, Nembe and eight other communities. It has 10 bridges and is being handled by Setraco Nigeria Limited.