Remedial work recently began on the long-neglected Benin-Asaba Highway, sparking widespread accolades for those believed to have championed this essential project. While praise is being distributed, one name stands out for his indispensable role: Senator Ned Munir Nwoko. Senator Nwoko has not only been instrumental in mobilizing efforts for the rehabilitation of the Benin-Asaba Expressway, but he has also led the charge on a host of other critical road projects across Delta North, demonstrating steadfast dedication to his senatorial district.
Just a few months into his term in the 10th National Assembly, Senator Nwoko took decisive action, formally requesting the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing in October 2023 to address the dilapidated federal roads across Delta North. In his letter, titled URGENT NEED FOR TOTAL RECONSTRUCTION/RESURFACING OF FEDERAL ROADS IN DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT, he underscored the deteriorated state of the Benin-Agbor-Asaba Road, which has seen no significant repairs since its dualization over 22 years ago. Senator Nwoko emphasized the need for a comprehensive overhaul and proposed the construction of designated service stations along the highway to prevent random parking by heavy-duty vehicles. While the service stations are still in planning, repairs on the road’s failed sections are now underway.
Senator Nwoko has also turned his attention to the Onicha-Ugbo – Idumuje-Ugboko – Ewohimi Road, a crucial link between Delta and Edo states, with strategic importance for both local and regional economies. It was Senator Nwoko who originally facilitated the construction of this road in 2009 through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Aware of its current disrepair, he has renewed calls for its restoration. Additionally, the Senator has pushed for urgent intervention on the impassable Abraka-Agbor-Uromi Road, which has been largely unusable for over seven years, further highlighting his commitment to improving infrastructure and accessibility across Delta North.
Not to be overlooked is the equally distressing state of the Abraka-Agbor-Uromi Road, which has languished in a state of impassability for over seven years. Senator Ned Nwoko, always one to champion the causes of his constituency, has vigorously brought this issue to the fore as well.
Nevertheless, among the crowning jewels of Senator Ned Nwoko’s audacious infrastructural blueprint shines a singularly visionary undertaking: construction of the Asaba-Oko-Okpai-Patani Coastal Road. Unlike the previously mentioned roads, this ambitious venture does not seek to restore a pre-existing infrastructure but heralds the birth of a brand-new arterial thoroughfare, painstakingly conceptualized by the Senator with the dual aim of engendering economic vibrancy and ameliorating the dire living conditions of the affected communities. Spanning critical nodes as Oko, Aballa, Utchi, Okpai, Aboh, and Patani, this coastal road is set to serve as the fulcrum of a burgeoning economic corridor, drastically enhancing the mobility of individuals, goods, and services across the region.
More profoundly, the road's construction is poised to address the hydrological challenges that have long besieged these coastal areas. Its embankment works, integral to the project, promise a robust solution to the recurrent flooding that has stymied development and wrought untold hardship on residents for decades.
During his electoral campaigns, Senator Ned Nwoko personally traversed these communities and witnessed firsthand the abject conditions of the road and the immense hardship inflicted upon its users and habitants of its environs. His empathy translated into action, as he pledged to secure federal intervention. He noted that the state government alone could not muster the requisite resources to execute the thorough and durable rehabilitation needed, particularly in light of the perennial flooding that plagues the region. True to form, the talk and do Senator has, within a single year in office, succeeded in securing a place for this monumental project in the NDDC’s 2024 budget. The Asaba-Oko-Patani Road, along with its attendant bridge works, stands as the single largest project in the NDDC’s portfolio with an imposing contract sum of N26.890 billion.
It is of paramount importance to acknowledge that Senator Ned Nwoko’s intervention has never been a matter of mere perfunctory correspondence. His engagements with the pertinent ministries, agencies, and commissions have been assiduous and relentless, involving numerous follow-up meetings and persistent lobbying. For the records’ sake, Senator Ned Nwoko’s efforts predate even the aforementioned interventions, as he had previously presented these road projects to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Roads, and ensured their prominence on the legislative agenda.
As the adage goes, “a labourer is worthy of his hire.” Senator Ned Nwoko has not only met but has exceeded the lofty expectations placed upon him by his constituents. He has remained steadfastly vigilant in safeguarding the mandate entrusted to him and has approached his senatorial responsibilities with an indefatigable sense of duty and purpose. It is, therefore, only fitting that he be lauded for his unparalleled commitment to infrastructural renewal in Delta North, and for his unyielding resolve to actualize the development that his people so rightly deserve. The Senator’s actions embody the essence of statesmanship. And for this, he deserves every accolade.
Dr. Michael Nwoko
Chief of Staff to Senator Prince Ned Munir Nwoko
Delta North Senatorial District
