Residents of Amuokpokpor-Elume community in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State have appealed to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to urgently repair a road that collapsed just one year after it was built.
Speaking to journalists, community chairman, Daniel Ogbodo, said the road has now become a “death trap,” with exposed rods, heaps of stones, and no drainage system.
The road, which was completed in 2020, was meant to connect the farming community to other parts of the council. But community leaders say the contractor used substandard materials, causing it to fail shortly after completion.
“At the start, our people were very happy because we thought our years of suffering had ended,” Ogbodo said. “But less than a year later, the road failed completely, leaving us worse off than before.”
Community elder, Olu Majelele, and the President General of Elume District, Felix Emuobonuvie, also urged the NDDC to return to the site. They lamented that the poor state of the road has caused frequent accidents, tyre punctures, and slow movement of vehicles.
“Right now, the road is almost impassable,” they said. “Recently, one of our sons died when his car overturned on this road. We appeal to the NDDC to send engineers to inspect and rebuild it. This is our only access road.”
Women in the community added their voices, saying the bad road has crippled their ability to sell farm produce. Mrs. Mercy Izobo and Mrs. Bridget Emuobonuvie explained that drivers now charge double the normal fare to enter the village, and many goods spoil at home because they cannot reach the market.
“We farm cassava, rubber, timber, fish, plantain, yam, palm oil and more,” they said. “But because of the bad road, our economic activities are suffering.”
Other residents, including John Otuma, Samuel Izobo, Comedy Ogbodo, and Richard Edi, praised the NDDC for starting the project but begged the agency to finish the job properly. They also asked the NDDC to extend the road to the riverbank, complete it with drainage, and build a jetty to protect the community from flooding and landslides.
The community stressed that without urgent repairs, their lives and livelihoods will remain at risk.
