Engineers review NDDC projects and highlight their economic impact

The Nigerian Society of Engineers says the value of Niger Delta road and bridge projects should be judged by the communities they connect, not simply by their cost or length.

Eluanatein Mac Jokori, chairman of the society’s Yenagoa branch, made the comments while meeting the 51 For 51: Ogbuku Impact Series team, led by Okaniba Damson. The team was reviewing major infrastructure projects being carried out by the Niger Delta Development Commission.

Jokori pointed to the Ogbia-Nembe Road, the rehabilitation of the Yenegwe-Ogbia Road, the Emeyal-Elebele Road and the Otuasega-Obedum-Emelego Road. He said better connections could help farmers, fishermen, traders and other residents move goods from production areas to major markets.

“The value of such projects should be measured not only by their length or cost, but by the communities they connect and the economic activities they make possible,” Jokori said.

The 25.7-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road illustrates the engineering difficulties involved. The project includes seven bridges and 9.15 kilometres of prefabricated vertical drains to stabilise swampy ground. Jokori said it had created a direct land link between Ogbia and Nembe and improved access to Yenagoa for residents of the Nembe area.

He also cited the roughly 23.5-kilometre Otuasega-Obedum-Emelego Road and bridges linking communities in Bayelsa and Rivers states. Together with the Oruma rigid pavement road in Ogbia Local Government Area, the route could help move agricultural produce from rural communities to urban centres.

In Akwa Ibom, Jokori highlighted the approximately 6.87-kilometre Iko-Atabrikang-Opolom-Iwuo Achang Road and the 600-metre Ibeno Bridge. He said the bridge connected communities previously separated by the Qua Iboe River and could improve access to schools, healthcare, markets and other economic centres.

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The value of such projects should be measured not only by their length or cost, but by the communities they connect and the economic activities they make possible.