Kogi Community Protests Exclusion From 500km Road Project

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The people of Oganenigu Community in Dekina local government area of Kogi State has called for the review the list of the communities to benefit from the World Bank Assisted 500km of feeder road project in Kogi State.

The community tasked the governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on the need to take a second look at the list, in order to redress injustices in the selection process of the communities to benefit from the project.

Addressing newsmen, the spokesman of a coalition of civil societies: Oganenigu Community Development Association (OCDA), Oganenigu People’s Mandate (OPM), Oganenigu Christian Forum (OCF) and Oganenigu Muslim Youth Association (OMYA), Engr Solomon Hussaini Ihiabe, observed that, though, the project was powered by the World Bank, the process of selecting the benefiting communities by the state was not fair.

He said, “His Excellency Governor Yahaya Bello personally visited Oganenigu Community for an on-the-spot assessment, the last time herdsmen attacked the community. He saw how badly the access road to the community has dilapidated. He acknowledged it himself.

 

“Haven witnessed how impassable the community’s road has degenerated; we don’t expect that construction of 500km of feeder road will be embarked upon in Kogi State that will exclude Oganenigu Community.

 

“The Oganenigu community appeal is very urgent and loud because, we are almost cut off from the rest of the state, as the governor can well attest to.

 

“Our road cannot wait for another time. Therefore, we are calling for a review of the list of the benefiting communities.”

 

He reminded the governor that, Oganenigu, whose road is been neglected now, played significant role in the election that brought him to power.

 

Engr Ihiabe went down memory lane on how the two access roads, linking the community were neglected by successive government in Kogi State. He explained that, one of the roads, the 22 kilometre Oganenigu-Etutekpe road was last constructed with laterite overlay in 1978. Since then, no serious work has been carried out on the road. Hence, the road is a death trap and almost impassable now.

 

The second road, the 26 kilometre Oganenigu-Iyale road, which was first constructed through community efforts in the early 70’s, has completely broken down.

 

Ihiabe therefore, appealed to the Kogi State Government as led Alhaji Yahaya Bello to, in the spirit of equity, justice and fairness to all, include Oganenigu Road in the list of benefiting community from the 500KM road project.


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