Abia oil-producing communities accuse NDDC, ASOPADEC of neglect

…say there are abandoned projects everywhere

Oil- producing communities in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State have accused Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Abia State Oil Development Commission (A SO PA DEC) of abandoning several projects in the area.

They explained that the area has not benefited meaningfully from NDDC and ASOPADEC since the two bodies were establishment by the Federal Government in case of NDDC and Abia State Government in case of ASOPADEC.

Onwubiko Dike, a don and president-general, Asa Development Union (ADU), the apex socio- cultural organisation of indigenous people of Asa, in Ukwa West Local Government Area in an interview with BDSUNDAY, observed that ongoing probe of NDDC activities was long overdue, hence, the need to carry it out properly and conscientiously.

He described Abia ASOPADEC as a conduit pipe, used in siphoning monies meant for the development of oil producing communities.

A document made available to BDSUNDAY, by A DU listed some NDDC abandoned projects in Asa that include construction of district Hospital Obokwe- Asa, construction of UmuakaObokwe-asa internal road, construction of ObokweUmuguru internal road and construction of Ahia EkeOza Umuiku road.

Others are Umuituru Ozar Central School Link road, construction of Umuituru Ozar Central School road (awarded twice and not executed), Umuiku

Mkporobe road and Orie Obokwe-umuikukor road.

Also abandoned are Umuokpara/umuekechi/ O mum au zorro ad, Obingwu/ Umuugo/asa Nnetu road, Obokwe Solar Powered Water Scheme, Umuadienwe Solar Powered Water Scheme, Ukwa West Local Government Area regional water scheme at Umuorgu, Asa Civic Center/ Multipurpose Hall at ObehieAsa, 132/33KV substation at Ikpokwu-asa, UgwuatiOzatta road and Umudobia

Umuaku road.

They also listed U mud obi a-Ow aza Housing Estate, Ukanafun ( Akwa Ibom) - AzuminiObehie- Owaza ( Abia State) - Etche ( Rivers) dual carriage highway, abandoned at the boundary between Ukwa East and Ukwa West LGAS.

Onwubiko explained that their experience with the NDDC in particular, has been very painful, as lots of projects that are on paper never existed in real life.

L-R: Umar Ahmed, Commander, Ogun state sector of Federal Road Safety Corps; Ayinla Balogun, NTA staff; Niyi Ojekunle general manager, Paramount FM Abeokuta; Funmi Wakama, general manager, NTA Abeokuta; Bidemi Falola, Chairman Sweet Estate Union Properties and Facility Management Limted and Dimeji Kayode-adedeji, former Zonal Secretary of NUJ at presentation of Toyota Camry to NTA Abeokuta by Sweet Estate Limited in Abeokuta recently.