The Warri Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on the Federal Government to urgently fixed the failed portions on the Benin/Sapele Expressway.
NUJ made this call in a statement issued during the weekend signed by Mr Okies Veeky and Mrs. Betty Idialu, chairman and Assistant Secretary respectively of the Warri Correspondents Chapel and made available to journalists
NUJ said that the call had became necessary to ameliorate the suffering motorists and commuters were undergoing on the ever busy road.
The Union disclosed that members of the chapel had carried out a tour of the road to ascertain the degree of it’s deplorable state following the persistent outcry by motorists.
The NUJ Warri Chapel noted that the road would soon be cut off from other parts of the country if urgent steps were not taken to address it.
According to the statement, the worst affected part on the road was the stretch between Koko Junction in Delta State and parts of Ologbo in Edo State.
“As a union, we can no longer keep mute while the Federal Government continues to neglect the only access road that linked the West to the South South region of the country.
“The earlier government intervenes the better.”
They recalled how some motorists had spent days on some bad spots on the road.
According to the statement, a truck driver identified as simply as Mr, Tunde who was conveying goods from Port Harcourt to Kano had his truck stuck in one of the bad portions on the road.
Mr. Tunde have this to say, “I have spent almost one week in this Ologbo village because my truck ran into a ditch.
“I have been sleeping under the cold since waiting for another truck that will tow mine out from this ditch.
“I want to plead with the Federal Government to please come to our aid.
“Government is the only one we can cry to, we are really suffering and also losing money in this road.”
The Warri Correspondents Chapel of the NUJ recalled that a similar situation had occurred in 2019 within the Adeje axis on the Warri/Sapele Expressway.
They, however, said that it took the intervention of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta to mobilise contractor to carry out some palliative repairs on failed portions of the road to ease the suffering of the people.
PHOTO: A bad section of the Benin/Sapele Road by Ologbo community that is completely cut off.
