Community leaders and stakeholders in Ataba Kingdom, Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, have commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the execution of the landmark Kaa-Ataba Road and Bridge project.
The leaders described the project, which links Kaa in Khana Local Government Area to Ataba in Andoni Local Government Area, as a historic intervention that has ended decades of isolation and hardship for riverine communities in Andoni.
An NDDC statement on Wednesday by Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director, Corporate Affairs, said the communities that were the beneficiaries of the project were in jubilant mood.
John Ekwang, Head Chief of Ogogo Village, told newsmen that the people of Ataba were overwhelmed with joy over the bridge, which he described as the longest in the Niger Delta.
Ekwang noted that for decades, the people of Ataba and neighbouring communities depended solely on wooden boats to access mainland markets, schools and hospitals, a situation that led to loss of life, farm produce and economic opportunities.
“For many years, we cried for this bridge. Our children risked their lives crossing the river to go to school. Our women lost their fish and farm produce because there was no road. Today, NDDC has wiped our tears. This is the first time government has truly remembered us,” he said.
He assured the NDDC of the community’s full support and cooperation to protect the infrastructure, pledging that youths in the area would be mobilised to secure the project against vandalism.
Also speaking, ThankGod Egart, Chairman of the Elders Forum in Ataba, said the bridge would transform the socio-economic life of Andoni people, adding that it would reduce transportation costs, boost trade and enhance security in the area.
“We have buried people waiting for boats. We have lost perishable goods. With this bridge, our children can now go to school and return safely. Our fish will reach Port Harcourt and Bori fresh. We thank President Bola Tinubu and the NDDC Board and Management for giving us this hope,” Egart stated.
In a another commendation, George Okop, a fish trader, said the bridge had brought renewed hope to traders in the fishing business, as it would eliminate the need for expensive ice and boat transport.
Sarah Johnson, a school teacher from Ataba, said commuting from the community to Port Harcourt had been a major challenge, as people sometimes wait about two hours for a boat ride across to Kaa, their neighbours.
She thanked the NDDC for building the bridge, which would end their transportation challenges and improve their livelihoods.
The Kaa-Ataba Bridge project comprises a 1.2-kilometre main bridge with 57 piers, a 250-metre second bridge with 15 piers, and a 2-kilometre double-lane road linking Khana and Andoni Local Government Areas.
According to the NDDC, the bridge is one of several legacy projects to be completed under its current Board and Management, led by Chiedu Ebie, Chairman of NDDC and Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director, in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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