By Dr. Michael Nwoko
The recent commencement of remedial works on the dilapidated sections of the Benin-Asaba Highway has elicited a chorus of accolades directed towards various individuals perceived to have played a role in bringing about this critical project. This is hardly unexpected, as success invariably attracts recognition. Such is human proclivity. However, amid the cacophony of praise and the triumphant validations, it would be a grave oversight to ignore the pivotal role played by the Distinguished Senator Ned Munir Nwoko in orchestrating not only the rehabilitation of the Benin-Asaba Expressway but also a myriad of other crucial road projects in the Delta North Senatorial District, which he represents with unwavering tenacity in the hallowed chambers of the Senate.
In a display of unparalleled foresight, and with mere months into the 10th National Assembly, Senator Nwoko, in October 2023, formally petitioned the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, pointing out an exigent need for the total reconstruction and resurfacing of federal roads in Delta North. In his meticulously drafted letter—URGENT NEED FOR TOTAL RECONSTRUCTION/RESURFACING OF FEDERAL ROADS IN DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT—the Senator unequivocally emphasized the precarious state of the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Road. The Senator articulated that, since the road’s dualization 22 years prior, no significant maintenance or rehabilitation had been undertaken on this critical highway. He called for a comprehensive reconstruction and resurfacing of the road and further proposed the construction of service stations at strategic intervals along the route to accommodate trucks, trailers, and petrol tankers, whose haphazard parking on the highway had contributed to its deterioration. While the construction of these service stations remains on the horizon, the rehabilitation of the road is currently underway with remedial repairs on the failed portions.
Senator Ned Nwoko, further turned his unrelenting gaze towards the Onicha-Ugbo – Idumuje-Ugboko – Ewohimi Road. This vital thoroughfare, which connects Delta State to Edo State and ultimately to the northern regions of Nigeria, serves as an artery of both economic and social importance. It is imperative to recall that it was Senator Ned Nwoko himself who, in 2009, facilitated the construction of this road via the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). However, since its completion, it has fallen into a deplorable state, devoid of any maintenance or rehabilitation efforts. The Senator, fully cognizant of the road’s strategic importance, has once again raised the clarion call for its restoration.
Not to be overlooked is the equally distressing state of the Abraka-Agbor-Uromi Road, which has languished in a state of impassability for over seven years. Senator Ned Nwoko, always one to champion the causes of his constituency, has vigorously brought this issue to the fore as well.
Nevertheless, among the crowning jewels of Senator Ned Nwoko’s audacious infrastructural blueprint shines a singularly visionary undertaking: construction of the Asaba-Oko-Okpai-Patani Coastal Road. Unlike the previously mentioned roads, this ambitious venture does not seek to restore a pre-existing infrastructure but heralds the birth of a brand-new arterial thoroughfare, painstakingly conceptualized by the Senator with the dual aim of engendering economic vibrancy and ameliorating the dire living conditions of the affected communities. Spanning critical nodes as Oko, Aballa, Utchi, Okpai, Aboh, and Patani, this coastal road is set to serve as the fulcrum of a burgeoning economic corridor, drastically enhancing the mobility of individuals, goods, and services across the region.
More profoundly, the road’s construction is poised to address the hydrological challenges that have long besieged these coastal areas. Its embankment works, integral to the project, promise a robust solution to the recurrent flooding that has stymied development and wrought untold hardship on residents for decades.
During his electoral campaigns, Senator Ned Nwoko personally traversed these communities and witnessed firsthand the abject conditions of the road and the immense hardship inflicted upon its users and habitants of its environs. His empathy translated into action, as he pledged to secure federal intervention. He noted that the state government alone could not muster the requisite resources to execute the thorough and durable rehabilitation needed, particularly in light of the perennial flooding that plagues the region. True to form, the talk and do Senator has, within a single year in office, succeeded in securing a place for this monumental project in the NDDC’s 2024 budget. The Asaba-Oko-Patani Road, along with its attendant bridge works, stands as the single largest project in the NDDC’s portfolio with an imposing contract sum of N26.890 billion.
It is of paramount importance to acknowledge that Senator Ned Nwoko’s intervention has never been a matter of mere perfunctory correspondence. His engagements with the pertinent ministries, agencies, and commissions have been assiduous and relentless, involving numerous follow-up meetings and persistent lobbying. For the records’ sake, Senator Ned Nwoko’s efforts predate even the aforementioned interventions, as he had previously presented these road projects to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Roads, and ensured their prominence on the legislative agenda.
As the adage goes, “a labourer is worthy of his hire.” Senator Ned Nwoko has not only met but has exceeded the lofty expectations placed upon him by his constituents. He has remained steadfastly vigilant in safeguarding the mandate entrusted to him and has approached his senatorial responsibilities with an indefatigable sense of duty and purpose. It is, therefore, only fitting that he be lauded for his unparalleled commitment to infrastructural renewal in Delta North, and for his unyielding resolve to actualize the development that his people so rightly deserve. The Senator’s actions embody the essence of statesmanship. And for this, he deserves every accolade.
– Dr. Nwoko is Chief of Staff to Senator Prince Ned Munir Nwoko, Delta North Senatorial District.
