Amid controversy surrounding the recently commissioned Abraka-Oben road project, Patrick Aisowieren, the Edo State representative on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has clarified that the project remains incomplete, with only the first phase delivered.
He explained that the first phase, covering 9.8km, was commissioned by the Minister of Regional Development Commission, Abubakar Momoh, while the second phase, which includes the 12.18km Oben-Umughun Nokhua section linking the Benin-Abraka highway in Orhionmwon Local Government Area, has not yet commenced.
Aisowieren dismissed claims that the federal government had completed and fully commissioned the entire Abraka-Oben road project.
He emphasized that “nobody has claimed that the federal government has done or completed the Oben road axis of the project.”
He assured the people of Orhionmwon that the project is still in progress and remains a priority for the NDDC.
His statement comes in response to protests from youths in Oben, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, who insisted that the road is a phantom project
Hundreds of youths under the Ugu Youths umbrella on Thursday called on President Bola Tinubu to investigate the commissioning of the road by the Minister of Regional Development Commission, Abubakar Momoh.
The youths, led by their coordinator, Monday Osemwenkhae, argued that the so-called “Abraka-Oben road” begins and ends in the Delta State section of the Benin-Abraka road, with no visible reconstruction in their community.
Osemwenkhae maintained that no such road called Abraka-Oben exists in the Niger Delta and that the only known federal road in the area is the Benin-Abraka road.
Appealing to President Tinubu, Osemwenkhae urged the federal government to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the project, stressing that Oben, a host to several oil and gas companies, has been neglected despite its contributions to Nigeria’s economy.
He lamented that the community had to construct its own link roads with local efforts and support from an oil company operating in the area.
He also called on the minister to return to Oben and present evidence of the road project in Edo State.
An elder in Oben, Chief Friday Omoragbon, echoed these sentiments, stating that the road commissioned was entirely located in Delta State and was incorrectly labeled as the “Abraka-Oben Road Project.”
He insisted that no such road by that name exists in Orhionmwon Local Government and that residents were unaware of any NDDC-led reconstruction in their locality.
Omoragbon dismissed claims of federal intervention, calling the announcement deceptive and alleging that even in Delta State, it remained unclear how much work had been done.
Despite these reassurances from Aisowieren, the Oben community remains skeptical, demanding greater transparency and a direct intervention from the federal government to ensure that promised road infrastructure is delivered to their locality.
