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Residents of Amuokpokpor-Elume in Sapele Local Government Area, Delta State, have called on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to urgently reconstruct the collapsed road linking the agrarian community to the rest of the council, warning that lives and livelihoods are at risk.

The road, built in 2020, reportedly failed barely a year after completion. Community leaders allege the contractor used substandard materials, leaving the project riddled with potholes, exposed rods, and no drainage system.

“Our people were jubilant when the project began because of the suffering we had endured for years,” said community chairman, Daniel Ogbodo. “But the road didn’t last a year. Today it is a death trap, worse than before the intervention.”

Road of Tragedy

Community elders Olu Majelele and Felix Emuobonuvie, President-General of Elume District, lamented that the dilapidated road has claimed lives, including a young man who died when his vehicle overturned.

“Motorists avoid the community entirely because exposed iron rods burst their tyres,” Majelele said. “This is our only access road. We beg the NDDC to send their engineers to inspect it and rebuild it properly.”

Farmers Cut Off

For women traders like Mercy Izobo and Bridget Emuobonuvie, the failed road has crippled farming and trade. The community, which produces cassava, plantain, timber, fish, and palm oil, struggles to get goods to market.

“Drivers now charge double because of the road,” Mrs. Izobo explained. “Most times, our produce rots at home because we can’t afford the transport.”

Plea for Extension

Other residents, including John Otuma, Samuel Izobo, Comedy Ogbodo and Richard Edi, urged the NDDC to extend the project to the riverbank, with a jetty and drainage system to protect the flood-prone, riverine settlement from erosion and landslides.

While commending the NDDC for bringing the road in the first place, the community insisted the agency must return to complete it.

“Our economy is paralysed,” Emuobonuvie said. “A good road will transform this community and give our people a chance to thrive.”