Residents of Ebu Community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State have called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to urgently rehabilitate the dilapidated Ebu–Ezi–Ukala Road, lamenting that the once-busy route has turned into a nightmare for motorists and residents, while cutting the agrarian community off from neighbouring towns.
The community, widely known as one of Delta State’s major food-producing areas, depends heavily on the Ebu–Ezi–Ukala Road as its principal access route to neighbouring communities including Ezi, Ukala and Issele-Uku. However, residents said the road, which was constructed more than three decades ago during the administration of former Governor James Ibori, has deteriorated beyond use and become almost impassable.
Indigenes explained that the failed condition of the road has crippled economic activities in the area, making it extremely difficult for farmers and traders to transport agricultural produce to nearby markets, while also disrupting social and commercial activities within the communities.
Community leaders further revealed that in an effort to draw government attention to their plight, indigenes of Ebu, alongside residents of Ezi and Ukala, staged a peaceful protest at the Government House in Asaba last year over the worsening state of the road.
According to the residents, the protesters were received by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, who assured them that the state government would address the issue. They, however, expressed sadness that despite the promises made during the meeting, no visible work has commenced on the road project.
The people decried what they described as prolonged neglect of the community, insisting that Ebu has continued to suffer abandonment despite its significant contribution to food production and the economy of Delta State.
Some indigenes also questioned whether the community’s location as a border town between Delta and Edo states had contributed to the lack of development attention, noting that Ebu remains the last boundary community linking both states.
“Our people are passing through untold hardship. Farmers can hardly move their produce to markets because transportation has become risky and expensive. It appears as though Ebu has been completely forgotten,” a community leader lamented.
Residents likened the present condition of the community to “a bat that is neither a bird nor an animal,” saying they feel abandoned and disconnected from government presence and development.
The people therefore made a passionate appeal to Governor Oborevwori, who is widely recognized for his infrastructural projects across the state, to urgently intervene by reconstructing the Ebu–Ezi–Ukala Road and restoring ease of movement to the affected communities.
They stressed that the road remains the only major link connecting Ebu to neighbouring towns and warned that continued neglect of the route could further worsen economic hardship, isolate residents, and cripple farming and commercial activities in the area.
