UGHELLI: The Paramount Ruler of Idjerhe Kingdom, His Majesty King Obukowho Monday Arthur Whiskey has issued a blistering warning over what he called the “criminal neglect” of road infrastructure in the South South, accusing both government and contractors of turning vital highways into death zones.
From his palace in Ethiope West Local Government Area, the monarch decried the collapse of major federal and state roads connecting Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Edo, and Cross River States, describing them as “graveyards of bitumen” that claim lives and cripple economic activity in Nigeria’s oil belt.
“We no longer have roads; we have death traps. This region generates the wealth of the nation, yet our people are forced to travel on highways that kill. Truck drivers, traders, and even ambulances gamble with their lives every day,” he fumed.
King Whiskey lashed out at the handling of the Benin–Warri highway, especially the Ologbo axis, where he alleged contractors have been “marking time” in one spot for over three years.
“They finish one side, barricade the other, and expect trucks from the North and West to squeeze through. It’s madness and it’s killing our economy,” he said.
The Idjerhe monarch called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, South-South governors, and key federal agencies to act immediately, stressing that the current short dry season is a critical window to fix the most dangerous portions — some just two to three kilometres long.
He also challenged multinational oil companies to invest in road rehabilitation as part of their corporate social responsibility, warning that continued neglect will escalate insecurity, poverty, and rural-urban migration.
“We cannot be laying the golden egg and be denied even a normal egg. Those who produce the wealth must benefit from it,” he declared.
Despite his outrage, the monarch expressed cautious optimism in President Tinubu’s leadership but insisted that “meaning well must translate into doing well.”
