Civil society leader seeks emergency action on East-West Road
Civil society leader and Publisher of The Common Good Letter, Rev. David Ugolor, has commended Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for initiating palliative repairs on failed sections of the East-West Road.
He, however, urged the governor to spearhead a regional campaign for the permanent reconstruction of the highway.
In an open letter to the governor, Ugolor described the intervention on the Oghara-Mosogar section of the Benin-Sapele-Warri-Ughelli corridor as a timely response to years of public complaints and hardship endured by commuters, businesses and residents.
*East-West Road
…Commends Oborevwori’s palliative repairs, demands permanent reconstruction
Goddy Simon, Asaba
Civil society leader and Publisher of The Common Good Letter, Rev. David Ugolor, has commended Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for initiating palliative repairs on failed sections of the East-West Road.
He, however, urged the governor to spearhead a regional campaign for the permanent reconstruction of the highway.
In an open letter to the governor, Ugolor described the intervention on the Oghara-Mosogar section of the Benin-Sapele-Warri-Ughelli corridor as a timely response to years of public complaints and hardship endured by commuters, businesses and residents.
However, the cleric cautioned that temporary repairs would not address the road’s long-standing structural deficiencies.
“The ongoing repairs may provide temporary relief, but they cannot address the extensive structural deterioration along the East-West Road,” Ugolor said.
He noted that repeated palliative interventions would continue to consume public resources without providing a lasting solution.
Describing the East-West Road as one of Nigeria’s most strategic highways and the economic lifeline of the Niger Delta, Ugolor argued that decades of corruption, poor contract management, weak accountability and inadequate transparency had stalled its completion despite substantial federal investment.
According to him, the road’s deplorable condition has contributed to avoidable deaths, economic losses, delayed access to healthcare, rising transport costs and declining investor confidence across the region.
Ugolor also called on the Delta State Government to disclose details of the ongoing repair project, including the approved contract sum, scope of work, implementation timeline, procurement process and quality assurance measures.
He said making the information public would promote transparency, strengthen accountability and enable citizens to monitor the utilisation of public funds.
Beyond the current repairs, Ugolor urged Governor Oborevwori to work with Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, other Niger Delta governors, lawmakers, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and the organised private sector to press the Federal Government for a permanent solution.
He called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the East-West Road, provide dedicated funding for its complete reconstruction, publish project contracts and implementation timelines, establish an independent monitoring mechanism, and hold contractors and public officials accountable for delays and poor project delivery.
“The East-West Road is not merely another highway; it is a national economic corridor that connects people, commerce, industries and critical oil and gas infrastructure,” Ugolor said.
He maintained that although the Delta State Government’s intervention would provide immediate relief for motorists, only comprehensive reconstruction by the Federal Government would deliver a safe, durable and economically sustainable highway for the people of Delta, Edo and the wider Niger Delta.
