Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Three Ijaw communities in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State have protested alleged plans to cut them off from the rest of the country.
The communities, including Toru-Tubegbe, Bolou-Tubegbe and Tamo-Tubegbe, alleged that the ongoing road project in the area being executed by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) did not include bridges which will link them to other communities.
During the protest by men, youths and women yesterday, the communities accused the contracting firm of attempting to cut down cost and make more profits by allegedly removing the bridges from the contract.
Carrying placards of various inscriptions, the protesters said the spot a culvert was constructed was a direct access road for the affected communities to take their fish to the neighbouring towns to sell, warning that they will resist every plan by NDDC and its contractor to deny them the major link road to other communities.
Some of the communities’ leaders, Benson Zenebor and Lucky Kurogha said in the road map which the NDDC contractor, Setraco Construction Company had, there are three spots for bridges, saying they may be denying them because they want to reduce expenses and make more profits.
They complained that they have on several occasions met with one NDDC officials to register their grievances on the attitude of the contracting firm towards the construction of the bridges, but that no positive response, hence the protest.
Kurogha said the communities affected will not relent in their protest until NDDC come to their aid and do the needful, saying in this era where communities are linked to each other, their communities cannot be left out mostly when their major occupation is fishing.