Organization Writes Tinubu, Requests For Construction Of NELGA Coastal Trunk Road
Odili Ogochukwu –
A Socio-cultural and Apolitical Organization in Ukwuani Nation, Organized Ndokwa Effort, has appealed to the Federal Government led by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, for construction of Coastal Trunk Road in Ndokwa East Local Government Area, NELGA, Delta State.
The appeal comes after government’s indisposition to address issues of under-development, access roads deficit across communities that are prominent oil and gas producing hub.
The body, who said the approval for the road construction would accelerate presidential project in the area, added that “it will further protect critical Federal Government economic assets against the tide of Youth restiveness.”
The proposed Coastal Trunk Road takes its edge from Oko, Abala-Oshimili, Utchi, Obecha, cutting across other towns in NELGA to Patani in the Delta South district and linking a cluster of several major Oil & Gas producing communities.
In a letter dated September 29, 2023, and addressed to President Tinubu, the organization appealed to the Federal Government to approve the construction of the road, lamenting that oil exploration and production commenced in Ukwuani nation since 1962 with nothing to show for it.
While saying that the road has been in both state and federal governments plans for over half a century, the body explained that heeding to their plights would amount to development, empowerment, and emancipation of the people, noting that the region has faced economic hardship for over five decades as a result of poor road network.
“The trunk road across the NELGA Oil & Gas hub will enhance Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and promote mutual peace between the host communities, Oil & Gas operators, and Federal Government,” it said.
The letter reads, “The Organised Ndokwa Effort (ONE) is a duly registered socio-cultural and apolitical organization focused on promoting the progress and development of the entire Ndokwa people and our environment as a Federal Constituency comprising of Ndokwa-East, Ndokwa-West and Ukwuani Local Government Areas as an ‘Ndokwa without barriers’. Our geographical areas are major Oil & Gas bearing, and the only producing Host communities in the whole of the Delta North district of Nigeria. You may wish to know that Oil exploration and production began in the Ndokwa area since 1962.
“Our people deeply appreciate the solid imprints of your strong leadership from the dawning of this Administration. Our belief is that only your political will can break the age-long jinx still lingering for over 5 decades which has denied us a crucial economic trunk road, but presents a huge opportunity before you to harvest. To this end we appeal for the construction of a coastal trunk road at the NELGA Oil & Gas producing hub in the economic nerve center of the Oil industry as a standout legacy for you to fulfil, and possibly at zero cost to the Federal Government.
“Having painstakingly evaluated the possibility of achieving this onerous and costly project that is a prime felt need of the grassroots people we came up with the option of using either the instrument of the Executive Order of the President for a Tax Credit Scheme (TCS), or Public Private Partnership (PPP). Your kind consideration and approval for the use of the TCS or PPP to fund and implement the project will be of immense credit to you.
“The proposed Coastal Trunk Road at Ndokwa-East LGA (NELGA) routed through Oko, Abala-Oshimili, Utchi, Obecha, Okpai amongst several other towns across the rural NELGA areas, ending at Patani in the Delta South district; also links a cluster of several major Oil & Gas producing communities.
“Suitable for an evergreen project of Mr. President. The impact of your special gesture of approval will resonate across the various host communities of the region who will be eternally grateful to you for identifying with our plight and turning around our abject poverty and underdevelopment for good. The landmark project will also be used as a cynosure of the CSR, giving it a human face in the governance of the PIA regime, thereby make a strong statement,” it said.
While praying for approval, the organization said, “Sir, our appeal is an overriding need for you to establish the project as your bestowal to the South-South economic belt. Thus, we pray for you to kindly:
“Assent for the road to be a Special project of the Presidency, will further protect critical Federal Government economic assets against the tide of Youth restiveness.
“Also give approval to the NNPCL, Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), for either the use of the Presidential Executive Order on the Tax Credit Scheme, or Public Private Partnership (PPP), for the road construction,” they prayed.
Organized Ndokwa Effort also, “Permit its historic naming as ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Road’. Consider an accelerated FOUNDATION LAYING CEREMONY to be performed before December 2023, which will be graced with a million-man carnival of our appreciation.
“Your Excellency, please accept the assurances of our highest respect, esteem and appreciation.”
The letter by Organized Ndokwa Effort, aka Oluku Ndokwa Envoys-Initiative, was duly signed by Sen. E. W. T Diffa, JP (Patron), Okei Ossai Udom, (Chairman) and Svt. Rodney Odibe Odili-Obi, (Coordinator).
Attachments:
A: NELGA/ Road Diagram
B: Funding
C: Description & Benefits
The NELGA major Oil & Gas fields hub:
Ndokwa East LGA, a.k.a. ‘NELGA’ contributes so much to the Federal Treasury and national economy (as detailed in below item d), yet we lack an essential trunk road across communities that are part of a major Oil & Gas producing hub. Our experience has taught us to appreciate and imbibe the wise reasoning of Dr. Frederick Douglas, which now resonates in our minds, that indeed ‘Power concedes nothing with demand, it never did, and it never will’.
Kindly note that:
It is over half a century that this proposed road has been on the drawing board of both the State and Federal governments. When the road is approved and constructed, it will give a quantum leap of development, empowerment, livelihoods and emancipation of the people.
The trunk road across the NELGA Oil & Gas hub will enhance Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and promote mutual peace between the host communities, Oil & Gas operators, and Federal Government. The NELGA model of proven peaceful conduct is outstanding, having never destroyed pipelines or blown up oil facilities and other critical assets; thus acclaimed as one of the most peaceful host communities in the Niger Delta, deserving of reward. The need to send the right message that other host communities should emulate peaceful conduct for mutual progress and benefit.
Vehicular access into host communities in the major Oil and Gas producing hub, majorly traversing across the length of NELGA in Delta State, is a very difficult task and demands concerted efforts due to the swampy terrain and topography of the area(s). The very poor access road is similarly problematic for the transporting fresh agricultural produce to markets.
Ndokwa is the only Oil and Gas bearing and producing community in the entire Delta North Senatorial District. We are currently contributing a significant 150,000 BPD from over a billion barrels Oil reserve to the Nigerian economy. Our Natural Gas reserve is enormous, more than 10Trillion Cubic feet that can support two or more LNG projects. Please recall that Nigeria’s first Gas Recycling Plant was commissioned at Kwale-Okpai. The Gas Master Plan and ‘OB3 Gas Plant’, AKK Gas Pipeline supplies amongst others are largely built on the bulk of Ndokwa Gas supplies.
Several Oil blocks & marginal Oil producing companies, allied oil services companies, other critical economic assets plus a network of pipelines across many towns are hosted within Ndokwa East LGA (NELGA). Past and present development of Ndokwa has been, and still is, in a very sorry state, despite their proven huge quantum of Oil reserves and one of the highest single largest deposit of Natural Gas, as a major Oil & Gas bearing and producing hub.
The LPG Plant of Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Ltd (SEEPCO), Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Gas project, Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), gas gathering/OB-OB3 national distribution hub, and emerging Gas Plants of Pillar Oil, Energia and NIDO Gas, plus the pioneer NNPC/Agip Okpai IPP expansion to 960MW are among the several other operating companies and projects, all of which are hosted within a cluster of the NELGA major Oil & Gas producing hub.
Diagram of the proposed concrete coastal road from ‘Asaba to Patani’, crossing into Bayelsa State at ODI onto KAIMA:
Significance of the proposed road route:
The Road can effectively serve as a receptacle for easy movement of fresh agricultural produce from this axis to Onitsha, Warri and Port Harcourt main market and other parts of the Country while shortening journey time for business and commercial activities to other cities.
SOURCE OF FUND:
The need for a Presidential Executive Order to approve the use of TAX CREDIT SCHEME, or Public Private Partnership (PPP), exclusive for the Niger Delta area, and specific for the proposed ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Road’.
Considering that only 3% of the total Kilometer distance was allotted to the entire South-South zone in a similar Road Infrastructure Development & Refurbishment Investment Tax Scheme of the Federal Government/NNPC/FIRS through a Presidential Executive Order.
An option for Mr. President’s Executive Order through the SEEPCO/NAPIMS/ NNPC Ltd and your commission, “Tax Credit Scheme”, or Public Private Partnership (PPP), for the concrete Road Infrastructure Development.
NNPCL may engage SEEPCO and NOAC (Agip). SEEPCO has emerged as a major Oil & Gas producing company operating in Nigeria with over 200 (former SPDC) wells at Okpai, amongst other places in Ndokwa. This may include NNPC Ltd as the senior partner in the JV with SEEPCO, and several Oil companies including NAOC, all operating in Ndokwa East LGA can secure fund for the Road project through a joint effort of a consortium.
Estimated Minimum Cost: $20m USD
Sir, kindly recall, that the 375Km Abuja – Kano road funded from the 2017/2018 FG Budget is N415.2m/Km (N155.7B total). Comparatively, minimum estimated cost for the proposed road on a difficult coastal terrain as at February 2023, was $20m USD.
DESCRIPTION:
Naming: ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Road’.
Route: From Asaba through OKO – ABALAOSHIMILI – UTCHI – OBECHA – OKPAI – ABALAGADA- ABOH – AKARAI – UMORU – ADIAI – OWORUBIA – ONYAH – ASABA ASE – ABARI to PATANI, crossing into Bayelsa State at ODI onto KAIMA.
Location: Ndokwa East LGA (NELGA), Delta State.
Standard: Dangote standard CONCRETE coastal Road.
Trunk Distance: 160 Kilometers.
Width: 10m
Thickness: 0.35m
Languages: Ndokwa people predominantly speak Ukwuani Language, with a few elements of Itshekiri, Urhobo, Ijaw and Isoko extractions.
Topography: Lowland area, Rain Forest, West bank of the Niger. The road will run through coastal swampy flood plains and low sea levels of Ndokwa land.
Competent Road Construction Company: HITECH Construction Company Limited, or AG-Dangote Construction Company Ltd.
Seasoned Civil & Structural Consultant: Ideal Concepts Engineering Ltd (Previous jobs include Federal Secretariat Katsina, Funtua Textiles Ltd, Allied Bank Kaduna, Peugeot Automobile Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Transportation HQ, Oil & Gas Free Zone Authority [Roads/ Flood control/ Buildings], Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, etc.)
BENEFITS:
The trunk road as a prime felt need can ‘give hope to clusters of several host communities within the major Oil & Gas Hub, and improve their living standards thereby attenuate their sufferings:
It will discourage YOUTH RESTIVENESS and save hundreds of millions of US Dollars for attendant post-incidence repairs of asset damages, by avoiding the destruction of Ndokwa sourced GAS for critical assets like the AKK and the Nigeria-Morocco Gas pipelines, amongst others.
The road will also be a major connector through several oil producing communities connecting the Benin-Onitsha Road and the Warri-Port Harcourt Road.
Oil & gas logistics operations and economics will be enhanced by providing direct access from the East-West Road to the vast oilfields around Ijaw, Isoko and Ndokwa; amongst others.