South-south group goes spiritual over deplorable condition of Calabar-itu road
Youthsundertheauspices of South-south Youth Crusaders for Change, have resorted to prayers to draw the attention of President, Muhammadubuhari,ministerof Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, and senior special assistant to the President on Niger Delta, Ita Enang, to the deplorable condition of the Itu- Calabar highway.
The youths said they would not relent in their prayers until the Buhari-led administration redeemed it promise on the road.
Leading the prayer session which held at Oku Iboku Junction, along the road, Idoreyin Godwin said they resorted to prayers because they believe that God would eventually heel the land.
“Many lives have been lost on this road and we are here to seek God’s intervention because we believe that God will heel our land,” Godwin said
During the prayer session which lasted for about two hours, the youths displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “we are not protesting, we are praying, “Buhari help us on this road”.
“We are cut-off from other parts of the Nigeria” “Why neglect Niger Delta/south-south” etc.
President of the group, Iniobong Edem, called on Buhari, and his aides not to play politics with the road as many lives have been lost already.
He wondered why work was yet to commence on the road project alleging that the President in a national broadcast in 2016 had announced that work has commenced already on the road.
“President Muhammadu Buhari, minister of Works and housing, Niger Delta Affairs minister, and senior special assistant to the President on Niger Delta, we will not rest until our prayers are heard concerning the completion of abandoned Calabar-itu-road.
“We call on them to do away with all excuses and mobilise the construction company, Julius Berger, which they earlier awarded the contract to, for peace to reign at Aso Rock”.
The president of the Association of Ibom Contractors, Lawrence Bassey, who claimed he impressedontheyouthstoshelve their protest, recounted the frustration on the road and called on the Federal Government to fix the road before it was too late.
He lamented that the road whose contract was awarded the same time with others major raods in the country was still suffering neglect while lives were being lost daily on the road
Earlier, the secretary of Association of Ibom Contractors, Victor Matthew said it was worrisome to watch on television and read in the newspapers the progress made by the Federal Government on other projects while Calabar-itu-road continue to suffer neglect
The highway is the only link road between Akwa Ibom and Cross River States but has been in a deplorable condition, cutting off economic activities between the two states.