By Mudiaga Affe
After 150 years of its existence, ancient Opobo kingdom, an island in Rivers State can now be accessed by road, following the inauguration of a section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity road by Governor Nyesom Wike.

The mood in the ancient and historic kingdom of King Jaja of Opobo on Saturday was euphoric, as ecstatic crowd thronged the road and cheering the governor for connecting the island by road to the mainland of the state.

Wike, while addressing crowd of Opobo, Nkoro, Ogoni, Andoni indigenes at Opobo New Layout, said the completion of the road and its inauguration was a dream come through for the people of the area and his administration.

According to Wike, he feels happy to have fulfilled his 2014 campaign promise to Opobo people.

He expressed appreciation to the administration of former governor Peter Odili for conceiving the Unity Road project.

Without the foresight of the former governor, Wike said it would have been difficult for his administration to complete the Opobo axis of the Ogoni-Opobo-Andoni Unity Road.

The governor directed his special adviser on special projects to liaise with the king and leaders of Opobo on where they desire a new land to be sand-filled and reclaimed for them by the state government.

He also urged the survey-general of the state to commence the process of land mapping and survey of the already sand-filled land in the area to enable Opobo people to begin allocation of spaces among themselves.

On the Queen’s Town erosion menace, Wike reminded Opobo people of the N3.1bn contract that was awarded when one of their sons was the commissioner for works to solve that problem.

The governor said, unfortunately, the company that was awarded the contract disappeared after it got N2bn mobilisation fee paid to it.

Wike said it was baffling that their son could frustrate such a development project attracted to the area, which would have solved the erosion menace and end the threat of Queen’s Town being washed away.

“Sometimes, you wrote to me about the erosion in Queen’s Town. I told the Amayanabo the other day that the job was awarded when your son was commissioner for works.

“It was awarded to the tune of N3.1bn. The company collected N2bn and it ran away from site. Amayanabo of Opobo, go and ask your son, who is that company that collected the money and refused to do the Queen’s Town shore protection.”

He said every Nigerian needs to come to terms with the reality that they are better off living together in a united Nigeria than otherwise.

The governor, who reflected on the rich diversity, resources and the essence why God has put every part of the country together in a geographic space called Nigeria, said Nigerians must learn to live in unity.

Performing the inauguration, former Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources as well as Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri, expressed gratitude to the governor for solving critical needs of the Opobo people.

He observed how excited the people were to have a road connecting the island to the rest of the state.

According to him, the governor has brought humanity to governance.

He stressed that it was pertinent for Nigeria to remain united so that the Opobo road will continue to be in the country.

Waziri, who described Wike as an uncommon governor, said he was providing Nigeria an indispensable ingredient of democracy that will promote nation building.

“Yobe has remained in opposition since 1999. All attempt to silence us has failed. In Nigeria also, all attempt to silence opposition will fail under the banner of Governor Wike.

“There are certain dividends (respects) that ordinarily have come to Governor Wike because he has earned them. But Governor Wike is not a governor for Rivers alone. He is an uncommon governor in PDP.

“He is giving the Nigeria polity the indispensable ingredient of democracy. And that is, for democracy to thrive, to be useful, for it to flourish, democracy must promote nation building.

The Amayanabo of Opobo, Douglas Jaja, said his people would remain grateful to the governor for the gesture.

Court of Appeal begins alternate sitting in Lafia

He, therefore, appealed to the governor to initiate another land reclamation project in Opobo.

The state Commissioner for Works, Elloka Tasie-Amadi, said the road was built through mangroves and swamps.

“It is 11.15km long, 7.3m wide with a 1.5m wide shoulder on either side.
From the start point at Nkoro/Opobo junction to this point where we are now gathered, you will cross 18 culverts of varying dimensions and five bridges of varying lengths, the shortest being 34m.

“Due to terrain peculiarities, we have an average fill height of 4m, the least fill height being 2m, a height that qualifies me as a short man, and some fill heights as much as 8m high, taller than a storey building. It has 2 layers of Asphalt, a binder course of 6cm and a wearing course of 4cm. All together 10cm.”

The commissioner said with the inauguration of the 11.15km road on the Opobo axis of the 43km Ogoni, Andoni, Opobo Unity road, the kingdom of Opobo has lost its Island status.