By Francis Onoiribholo / Bureau Chief, Benin
Thousands of youth from Uwelu and Uwasota spare part markets on last Wednesday besieged Edo State Government House to protest over the deplorable state of roads in their areas.
The youths, numbering over 1000, walked several kilometres to the Government House where they vowed not to exercise their franchise in the forthcoming general elections if the state government failed to reconstruct their roads.
The communities, who are hosts to the biggest spare part markets in the South- South geo- political zone had in September 2011 joined the traders of the market to protest to Edo State government over the same problem.
The protesters were armed with placards with various inscriptions such as “No road, no vote”, “Oshiomhole/Enobakhare fix our road for us”.
Spokespersons for the protesters, Eki Festus, said the people of the communities and their environs were full of expectations when the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole was declared winner of the 2007 gubernatorial election in the state by court.
According to him, when the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, was declared winner of the governor ship election there was jubilation at Uwelu market and its environs as the people were happy because to them the messiah has come but years after there is nothing to show for it. 90 percent of people at that environs voted for this same man in 2011.
“On the 11th of November 2013, we presented a position paper to the chairman of Egor local government council, Victor Enobakhare, and when we also went to the Ministry of Environment and Utilities, we were given the chart of all roads in the state and we were happy.
“The Benin City water storm project has been the excuse why the local and state governments have not fixed the road. We are not going to move our houses out of the communities because of water storm, move our old men and women because of water storm but we are here to plead with the comrade governor. We are not asking for too much, we want the roads to be reconstructed.
“As at today Uwelu/ Uwasota communities have nothing to show for this democracy. The comrade bus and Egor council mass transit are not plying on that road, we are suffering, we are paying tax, the Egor people are all crying, market men and women are relocating away from the areas. The two spare part markets contributed to the Gross Domestic Product of the state and as such we deserved good roads,” he said.
The spokesman also alleged that the Uwelu market has over 5000 traders and each store in the market pays about N 1,300 and N 4,800 monthly as taxes.
He also alleged that the Crosby Eribo PDP led -council executive had mobilised to site when the Oshionhole government stopped the contract over alleged fraud in the contract award.
“It is a matter of urgency because we have agreed on community works that if they refused to construct that road on the election days, we are all going to stay inside. We are not going to vote at all. We are sending another message to all political parties that they shouldn’t pay visits to the communities before you can give us road.
”For long we have been hearing of promises, Lucky Igbinedion promised us during his administration, and when the comrade governor came, the Crosby Eribo-PDP led-council executive was about constructing the road when the state government alleged that there was fraud in the award of the road contract and he was asked to explain how the contract was awarded; until now the road has not been constructed.
“Also since campaign has started, no politician should come to Uwelu and Uwasota to carry out campaign because the road is so bad and they are expecting vote from us. This is the appropriate time for us to come and meet the governor because he promised to tar the road for us,” he stated.
He said when the governor was campaigning for re-election in 2012, he trekked through the road and “we voted for him massively but today we are here to beg him to come to our aid.”
Patrick Obahiagbon, chief of staff to the governor, who received the protesters on behalf of the state government, assured them that the state governor will visit the Uwelu/ Uwasota roads and the community before the end of the week.Obahiagbon, who noted that the state government has not forgotten the plight of the communities, said that the visit will enable him have a first hand knowledge of the state of the roads in the localities. He said the road was strategic for social, economical and political infrastructure of the state.
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