ELSON OLUNARI was
Commissioner for Information in
Bayelsa State when Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan was the governor. He
went to Port Harcourt on official
assignment but never returned. He died in
a ghastly motor accident on the East-West
Road. That was in 2006. Madam Charity
Oba (fondly called Mama Sisi) is the foster
mother of Dame Patience Jonathan, wife of
our president and Jonathan’s mother-in-law.
Full of life and vitality, she died on the same
road last week on her way to Bayelsa State.
Even my publisher, Prince Denis Sami, some
years ago, lost two close relations on the
same road. Several other people did, many of
them unsung. Indeed, these deaths represent
unrecorded hundreds who between 2006
when the contract was awarded and this year,
had poured their precious blood on this very
important but dangerous road that links the
entire six states in the South-South zone,
otherwise called Niger-Delta.
The socio-economic importance of the
338km long dual carriageway from Warri
to Kaiama to Port Harcourt to Eket to Oron
otherwise known as the East-West road
traverses the heart of the Niger Delta and
serves as the main artery carrying the heavy
traffic conveying goods and services used in
the exploration of oil and gas in the region.
The nine states of the Niger Delta region
produce the oil and gas that contribute about
90% of the nation’s GDP and is certainly the
economic hub of the nation. The East West
road also opens up and makes accessible the
hitherto isolated and neglected region that
lays the golden egg. Aside of its economic
importance, completion of the road would
aid the development and upliftment of lives
of the communities. Little wonder that a lot
has been said about it.
I had always taken keen interest in the
affairs of the Niger-Delta region and this
informed the decision to devote my Doctoral
Degree (PhD) Thesis on the region. I had
also written a book, titled, “Environmental
Issues in the Management of Oil Business
in Nigeria”, published September 2012 and
already translated into three languages-
French, German and Dutch. Last Wednesday,
I undertook a tour of the entire length of
the region starting from Edo to Akwa Ibom
State. What I saw rattled me. That was the
third time I embarked on such journey this
year. The snail-speed with which contractors
are handling the road project bellies
whatever claim government officials give
for the delay. Agreed, there are challenges
such as insecurity, difficult terrain and all
that, but these are not enough reasons not
to complete the road since 2006 when the
contract was awarded.
Suffice it to say that given the importance
of the road, President Jonathan has a
major responsibility of ensuring that it is
completed before the end of his tenure in
2015. I make bold to say that the East-West
road is an albatross hanging precariously
on Jonathan’s neck. It is either he does
something fast, or loses credibility and
respect of his people and indeed, Nigerians.
Admittedly, construction work is on-going,
but my visit to the area last week did not
give me any course to celebrate. Worst
hit is the Kaima-Port Harcourt axis being
handled by Setraco. Incidentally, that route
falls under Jonathan’s home state. I can’t
imagine the excuse Mr. President will give
his kinsmen and women back home should
he fail to deliver on his promise to complete
the road next year. In fact, his political
future, reputation and dignity depend so
much on this project. I will not want him to
fail his people as Obasanjo, Babangida and
Abubakar did in terms of good road. Any
visitor to Abeokuta and Minna will doubt
that the cities ever produced former Nigerian
presidents. Chief Sam Mbakwe of blessed
memory is ever celebrated by his Obowo/
Etiti people for bringing development to
them and the entire old Imo State. That is the
kind of hero-figure Jonathan should assume.
He should not allow unpatriotic aides to
rubbish his image and works.
Contract for the construction of the
road was first awarded by the Olusegun
Obasanjo administration in 2006 at a cost
of N234 billion with a completion date of
2010. A mobilisation fee of N1.2billion was
immediately paid for its takeoff but without
detailed drawings and designs. However,
when the Contracts’ Bill Engineering
Measurement & Evaluation, BEME, for the
four sections were produced with tender
drawing prepared using the baseline designs
due to exigencies of the Niger Delta region at
that time to fulfill due process requirements,
it was realised that the inadequacies of work
items quantities inherent in the contracts as
a result of the baseline design method used
affected all sections of the road project and
eventually resulted in the augmentation
of the contracts. The contract was initially
awarded in four (4) sections to four different
contractors:
i) Section I: Warri – Kaiama (87.4km) in
Delta State to Setraco Nig. Ltd.
ii) Section II: Kaiama – Port Harcourt
(101km) in Bayelsa/Rivers States to
Julius Berger Nig. Ltd.
iii) Section III: Port Harcourt – Eket (99km)
in Rivers/Akwa Ibom States to RCC Nig.
Ltd.
iv) Section IV: Eket – Oron (51km) in Akwa
Ibom State to Gitto Costruzioni Gen. Nig.
Ltd.
However, Julius Berger’s contract on
Section II was terminated by Federal
Ministry of Works, FMW, after the company
withdrew from site due to insecurity, and reawarded
to Setraco Nig. Ltd. in April 2009
in two sub sections namely Section II Sub
Section II from Kaiama – Ahoada (54km) and
Section II Sub Section I from Ahoada – Port
Harcourt (47km).
The road contracts were transferred from
the FMW to the newly created Ministry of
Niger Delta Affairs, MNDA, in April 2009 to
fast track completion, consequent upon which
more detailed drawings and designs were
undertaken by the ministry to accommodate
all the inadequacies in the former drawings
and designs. The new designs indicate that
42 bridges and 768 Nos. culverts are needed
on the road. However, as at now, only 35
bridges and 756 culverts have been fully
completed which puts total work done by the
ministry on the road at 53 percent. Hence, if
in seven years (2006-2013) only 53 percent
of the project was completed, what miracle
would Elder Orubebe and his team do to
achieve the remaining 47 percent between
now and December next year being the time
he promised to finish the entire road project?
I leave the answer to my dear readers
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East-West Road and Jonathan’s future
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