By IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY.
Egoro Naoka Community in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State have commenced the rehabilitation of the Uhiele-Egoro Naoka- Ebudin road in Esan West Council Area.
Flagging off the rehabilitation of the road through community self help under the aegies of Egoro Naoka Development Association, the Onojie of Egoro, His Royal Highness, Zaiki Theophilus Osobase, the Onojie of Egoro commended sons and daughters of Egoro Naoka for initiating the project and seeing to its execution with their free will donations.
In his remarks, the President General of Egoro Naoka Community, Mr. John Aikharaiyi while narrating what nessecitated the rehabilitation of the road, thanked the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki for stating that the Ekpoma- Egoro Naoka road will be a priority project in his second term during his campaign at Ekpoma and appealed to the Governor not to forget the community in the scheme of things adding that the rehabilitation of the road is palliative measure pending when the state government will commence full scale construction of the road.
“We remember when the Governor, His Excellency Godwin Obaseki campaigned at Esan West, he really promised that Egoro Naoka road is going to be his priority this second term. While we are still waiting for that, knowing that the Governor has the love of my community at heart, we know before his term elapses he’s going to attend to us. But since the road was no longer motorable and our people are suffering; our sons and daughters home and abroad put our heads together and said we cannot be waiting for government alone in the midst of suffering, we decided to get money, mobilise to get palliative measures on earth reconstruction of the road”, Aikharaiyi said.
Also speaking to news men on the sidelines during the flag off ceremony, Chief Odiamehi Idemudia, the Aigbojie of Egoro Kingdom said the community is an agrarian community and lamented post harvest losses in the area as a result of lack of road to evacuate the farm products. He therefore appealed to the Edo State government to come to the aid of Egoro Naoka Community by tarring the Uhiele-Egoro Naoka- Ebudin road to enable them evacuate their farm products after harvest.
Also speaking, Mrs Felicia Edokpa while commending the initiative of Egoro Naoka sons and daughters who pooled resources together to embark on the road rehabilitation, appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Edo State government to come to the aid of the community to give the Uhiele-Egoro- Ebudin road full scale construction adding that is the permanent solution to the plight of the transportation problem of the people in that corridor of the state.
“There are a lot of things to be sold in the community like food items, farm products but no road; they’re all waisting away. It is a problem to pass that road now.”
Also speaking, Mr Dominic Ibharalu said the community have made overtures to successive governments in the state without any tangible result. He pointed out that the community have communicated its plights on the road to most political representatives in Edo Centre and hoped the ongoing rehabilitation of the road through communual effort will further draw the attention of political leaders and elected representatives in the area to the state of the road with a view to attracting government attention to it.