60 years of waiting ends as Bayelsa communities celebrate road inauguration 

By Samuel Oyadongha

OPOROMA—For six decades, the people of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area,  Bayelsa State’s largest council and one of Nigeria’s biggest waited in vain. Last Friday, their patience finally paid off.

President Bola Tinubu personally inaugurated the long-awaited Yenagoa-Oporoma road and also virtually, the Sagbama-Ekeremor road. 

The projects link remote communities in Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor LGAs to the state capital, Yenagoa. Thousands of residents poured into the streets in frenzy.

The roads, which snake through vast swaths of wetland are part of the three senatorial corridors designed to access the Atlantic coast from three flanks: Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie (Bayelsa Central), Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge (Bayelsa West), and Nembe-Brass (Bayelsa East).

The long wait

Remarkably, these roads, intended to open up oil and gas hinterlands had sat on the Federal Government’s drawing board since the 1960s. This neglect fuelled deep resentment among locals who felt the government cared only about extracting their resources, not about their welfare.

However, the state government moved to shatter the myth of a “difficult terrain,” as Governor Douye Diri committed huge funds and deployed heavy-duty machinery to transform the landscape.

The Yenagoa-Oporoma road includes a 630-metre bridge across the Nun River to Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw LGA. A spur links to Otuan, with Ondewari on the horizon. This project promises to change the fortunes of oil-and-gas-rich but long-neglected communities in the Central Senatorial District,  areas previously accessible only by water.

More than 60 communities and kingdoms in constituencies III and IV of Southern Ijaw, as well as Constituency III in Brass LGA, will enjoy drastically reduced travel times and lower transport costs. For one of Nigeria’s top oil-producing LGAs, the road corrects a historic injustice.

Meanwhile, the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge road will accelerate development in far-flung communities such as Beautiful Gate, Oweigbene, Ndoro, Peretorugbene, Aghoro and Agge on the Atlantic coast. 

Bayelsa government officials say it completes a transformative corridor that will integrate formerly marginalised settlements into the state economy, raise living standards, and lay the foundation for sustained, inclusive growth.

Residents thrilled

It was no surprise that thousands turned out when Governor Diri led President Tinubu and his entourage into the heart of Southern Ijaw for the inauguration.

Southern Ijaw is historically significant, the area is host to the oil majors and several others. It also had the highest concentration of militant camps during the heyday of Niger-Delta militancy. Aggrieved Ijaw youths, protesting years of environmental despoliation and demanding economic restitution for the region, crippled the nation’s oil production. That struggle birthed the presidential amnesty programme under the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua’s administration. 

“This is a dream come true. Today, we are happy to drive to our ancestral land. Thanks to the one fondly called the ‘Miracle Governor’, Senator Douye Diri, for making us witness this historic moment. 

“The volume of traffic into Oporoma is amazing. For over 60 years we have waited. Our forebears will be thrilled wherever they are. Before now, only swamp buggies were ferried into communities to clear rights of way and lay crude oil and gas pipelines but the story is different now,” said Gabriel Owei, an elated resident. 

Chief Douyi Douglas-Naingba, Bayelsa State chairman of the Pan Niger-Delta Forum (PANDEF) and an indigene of the council area, lauded Diri’s infrastructural revolution, declaring that the “Prosperity Administration” is quietly building a legacy that will redefine the state for decades.

“This road is a major score for this administration,” he said adding: “It ends decades of maritime dependency for entire kingdoms. Governor Diri has done very well. He has amplified previous initiatives and done them better. We cannot pretend otherwise. This development will boost our economy and fundamentally improve the lives of our people.”

Alagoa Morris, Deputy Executive Director of the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) and an indigene of the area, hailed the inauguration as a huge step forward that will positively impact the people’s socio-economic fortunes.

He said: “As we speak, we can drive to Oporoma and neighbouring Otuan community, and work is progressing towards Ondewari. 

“We are excited. Communities in the Olodiama clan, Apoi clan, even down to Ukubie and Koluama are happy.”

Another resident, who simply gave his name as ThankGod, appreciated Diri for the achievement despite the difficult terrain. 

“Most people can now drive straight from Yenagoa to their villages, reducing travel costs and man-hours,” he said.

Opuowei Jones, however, noted: “If this project had been executed several decades ago by the Federal Government, perhaps we could have hit Koluama on the Atlantic Ocean in the Central District, Agge on the western flank, and Brass in the eastern axis where work is also progressing simultaneously. 

“We could have avoided the many boat mishaps and pirate attacks that have claimed lives on our waterways. Since these corridors are federal roads, and given the commitment of the present administration, the Federal Government should take over the remaining segments to ease the burden on the state and enable it to face other challenges.”