July 04, (THEWILL) – The National Publicity Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Emmah Gospel Isong, says politics and politicians are responsible for the deplorable state of the Calabar – Itu Highway.
Bishop Isong disclosed this in Calabar while speaking on the continued poor state of the road and some salient issues facing the country.
He said Cross River and Akwa Ibom States have dominated the Niger Delta Development Commission in recent times and have failed to prioritise the construction of that road but rather used their positions to further their political ambitions.
He revealed that his wife had an accident on that road besides several indigenes of both states who have lost their lives on the road as a journey of 35 minutes now takes over four hours.
According to him, “I am so passionate about that road, I have lost members of my family and the church on that road, I have done burials of pastors on that road my own wife had had terrible accident on that road and came for thanksgiving on that road.
“All those that we have put in charge of the NDDC and all those ministers from Akwa Ibom and Cross River end up only contesting governorship elections as their priority projects. Please give me names, give me one name that has been a Niger Delta minister or NDDC MD or Chairman and I will tell you which governorship elections he tried to contest.
“In the past 10 years, it is Cross River and Akwa Ibom that have dominated the NDDC either as minister or MD, I have not seen two states who almost own the Niger Delta or the NDDC. In fact, right now Usani Usani handed over to Godswill Akpabio.
“It is a road that will take 35 minutes if it is good but it takes four hours if you are with a good car and if you don’t meet gridlocks, people have died on that road like Professor Etuk, Professor Mbikpon was killed on that road, I can give you over 20 names, how many kilometres is the road and we cannot just focus, to me politics has killed Calabar-Itu road”, he said
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THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
