The Nigerian Senate has urged the federal ministry of works to incorporate the Ore-Okitipupa-Igbokoda federal road into the ongoing federal government repairs on the Akure-Ore corridor under project C/No. 6509.
This is sequel to a motion on Thursday sponsored by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South).
The motion titled: ‘Achieving fair and balanced infrastructure development: Expansion of Akure-Ore road repairs to the Ore-Okitipupa-Igbokoda unity road’, Senator Jimoh noted that while the federal government’s ongoing interventions on major highways are commendable, it is critical to capture and address the concerns of key stakeholders affected by road conditions in oil producing regions.
He emphasised “Ondo state is an oil producing state contributing 7 percent of Nigeria’s crude oil revenue, with the major oil producing communities located in the Ondo South Senatorial Zone.
He argued “The primary access route to this region is the Ore-Okitipupa-Igbokoda federal road, which is directly linked to the ongoing project C/No. 6509 and accounts for 95 percent of the economic relevance of the corridor, yet remains unattended”.
Senator Ibrahim warned that communal tensions may arise when government policies on infrastructure appear to Favour some communities over others.
He added that it is the responsibility of the Senate to ensure fairness, equity and national security, insisting “oil producing communities must benefit from the resources derived from their lands, and exclusion could create feelings of marginalization, especially where one community’s resources appear to be used to develop another”.
The Ondo lawmaker however concluded that excluding the Ore-Okitipupa-Igbokoda road from ongoing federal repairs effectively overlooks the only federal highway serving an oil producing
zone in the state.
According to Senator Ibrahim “in the interest of Justice, equity, and national unity, it is imperative that this corridor be included in ongoing works”.
Meanwhile, the Senate resolved to urge the federal government to mandate the ministry of works to incorporate the road in question in the ongoing project C/No. 6509.
