By Tom Moses

UYO—Deputy Chief Whip of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Otuekong Nse Essien, yesterday, bemoaned the number of abandoned projects in the state by Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Essien who represents Onna State Constituency in the Assembly, complained of what he described as lack of commitment by the Federal Government’s agency towards the development agenda of the region.

Essien at an interaction with journalists in Uyo, noted that “If such development agencies live up to their expectations, the multiplier effects would have been properly felt by the local residents.

“The poverty level at the grassroots has become so alarming and the problems are aggravated by the absence of physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water and electricity.”

We, the representatives of the people cannot do them alone, which was why the Federal Government came up with a complimentary agency like the NDDC.”

He lamented that the NDDC contractors were in the habit of abandoning projects after collecting mobilization fees, saying such attitude was detrimental to the development plans of the state government.

More worrisome to the lawmaker is the pathetic state of rural roads in Onna, especially the Ikot Akpatek-Ikwe-Odio Road, a strategic access road traversing the oil bearing communities of Onna and Eket.

He recalled that the contract to fix the road was awarded by NDDC but was later abandoned by the contractor, thereby, stalling socio-economic activities of rural farmers and other small businesses in the affected communities.