Delta Monarch Urges Oborevwori To Rehabilitate Abandoned Otolokpo–Ute Elugwu Road
The traditional ruler of Otolokpo Kingdom in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, His Royal Majesty, Obi Collins Alioma Ezenwali, has appealed to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to urgently rehabilitate the four-kilometre Otolokpo–Ute Elugwu Road, which he said had been abandoned for more than a decade.
The monarch made the appeal during the New Yam Festival in Otolokpo, where he lamented that the deplorable condition of the road had severely affected movement, trade and agricultural activities in the community and neighbouring areas.
According to him, the road was once a major link between Otolokpo, Ute Elugwu, Ali Nwachokor, Egbudu Akan and other communities, but had become almost impassable due to severe gully erosion and prolonged neglect.
Obi Ezenwali said the deterioration of the road had turned what was previously a 20-minute journey into several hours, forcing motorists and other road users to take a longer route through Ute Okpu and Alohen before connecting Ebu-eno in Ute Elugwu.
He said the community had made efforts to carry out remedial works on the road, but the scale of the erosion had continued to worsen the situation.
“The road has closed up. Gully erosion has divided several sections of the road. Some years ago, people from neighbouring communities travelling to our community and Umunede came through this road, but today it is no longer so,” the monarch said.
He noted that the poor state of the road had taken a significant toll on the local economy, particularly farming and trading, as farmers were struggling to transport their produce to markets.
According to him, some farmers had been forced to abandon their farms because of the difficulty of evacuating agricultural produce, while motorcycles and bicycles also faced difficulties navigating some sections of the road.
The monarch added that traders from communities in the Ute Elugwu axis who previously visited the Otolokpo market had been cut off by the deteriorating road, further affecting commercial activities in the area.
Obi Ezenwali, however, commended Governor Oborevwori for completing the Boji Owa–Otolokpo Road, but urged the state government to extend the project from the end of the existing tarred section near the Grammar School to Ute Elugwu, Egbudu Akan and Ejeme.
He said such an extension would open up the communities and provide significant relief to residents, farmers, traders and other road users.
“The state government can take it up from there so as to bring relief to commuters and residents. That is our appeal,” he said.
The traditional ruler also called for the reconstruction of the Otolokpo–Ute Ogbeje Road, which he said had deteriorated considerably and was making movement towards Akumazi, Obior and other adjoining communities increasingly difficult.
Beyond infrastructure, Obi Ezenwali raised concerns over alleged encroachment on farmlands by herders and appealed to security agencies to intensify efforts to protect farmers and prevent further invasion of agricultural land.
He urged the authorities to take decisive steps to safeguard the livelihoods of farmers in the area and restore access to the affected communities.
