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FROM: JOE EFFIONG, Uyo
Youths on the platform of South South Youth Crusaders for Change, ha e suspended their plan to stage a mass protest for a spiritual warfare to draw the attention of the President Mohammadu Buhari, Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola, and Niger Delta Affairs, Minister, Godswill Akpabio, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta, Ita Enang, to the deplorable condition of Calabar Road.
The youths have however vowed to continue in their fervent prayers which they hope to sustain till the Buhari-led adminstration redeems its promise on the road.
Leading the first prayer session which held at Oku Iboku Junction, along the road, Apostle Idoreyin Godwin said they resorted to prayers because they believe that God would eventually heel the land.
“Many lives have been lost on this road and we are here to seek God’s Intervention because we believe that God will heel our land” Apostle Godwin said
The prayer session lasted for about two hours within which the youths displayed placards of various inscriptions some of which read “We are not protesting, we are praying; Buhari help us on this road; We are cut-off from other parts of the Nigeria; Why neglect Niger Delta/South South” etc.
In his remarks after the prayer session ,President of the group, Mr. Iniobong Edem, called on Buhari, and his aides not to play politics with the road as many lives have been lost already.
Edem wondered why work had yet to commence on road project alleging that the President in a national broadcast in 2016 had announced that work had already started on the road.
“The President, Mohammadu Buhari, Minister of Works and Housing, Niger Delta Affairs Minister, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta, we will not rest until our prayers are heard concerning the completion of abandoned Calabar-Itu-road.
“We call on them to do away with all excuses and mobilise the construction company, Julius Berger, which they earlier awarded the contract to, for peace to reign at Aso Rock”.
The president of the Association of Ibom Contractors, Engr. Lawrence Bassey, who claimed he impressed on the youths to shelve their protest, recounted the frustration on the road and called on the federal government to fix the road before it is too late.
He lamented that the road whose contract was awarded the same time with others majors in the country is still suffering neglect while thousands of lives are being lost daily on the road
Earlier, The Secretary, Association of Ibom Contractors, Mr. Victor Matthew said it is worrisome to watch on television and newspapers the progress made by the federal government on other projects while Calabar-Itu-road continue to suffer neglect
“It is worrisome to watch FG project concerning another region on television and pages of newspapers, while ours look like a scam.” Matthew lamented
