The Ijaw People's Development Initiative (IPDI) has slammed the alleged false claims by the Delta State Commissioner for Works, Charles Aniagwu, that the Ayakoromo bridge in the Burutu Local Government Area of the state, is an already completed project by the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori led-administration.

The IPDI response is coming in response to an earlier interview granted by Arise TV to the Commissioner for Works on Friday.

The group also frowned at the Commissioner who it said also stated that the Ayakoromo bridge is a 612 kilometer bridge, in a supposed 4 km bridge project, citing the so-called works Commissioner's interview as an embarrassment to the governor of the state.

In a statement, the IPDI president Comrade Ozobo Austin said that the project has been stalled, with no significant work done recently, stressing that the contracting firm, Setraco Nigeria Limited, had pulled its equipment out of site due to poor funding, which contradicts the Commissioner's earlier claims that the project was at the stage of completion.

The rights group also said that the governor has taken Ijaw people for granted for failing to prioritise the development of Ijaw oil producing and riverine communities, citing that the successive governors of Delta State from Uduaghan till date were only interested in Ijaw bulk votes during elections.

The group said that the Governor had not paid compensation to properties and houses demolished in the project site till date, alleging that it had been over six months when the contracting firm pulled out its equipment and staff from the site.

They reiterated that the affected residents whose houses were demolished in the project site, were rendered homeless and were facing serious hardship.

The statement reads, "The company left with all its equipment. Ayakoromo bridge is not close to completion after twelve years of being initiated. The Delta State Works commissioner misrepresented facts in his Arise TV interview.

"No pile cap and top beams have been constructed. Engineers of the first Firm (Zerock) and the second construction company (Setraco) only succeeded in using twelve years to complete pillars across the river. There is no work ongoing on the site as we speak now."

The IPDI's counter reaction had raised concerns about the accuracy of information provided by the state government regarding its projects and other sundry issues in the Arise TV show by Aniagwu.

The group raised issues of bias in the project allocation, funding and appointment in Oborevwori's administration, citing that the three flyover bridges he sited in his Uvwie local government area are closed to completion because he has given the jobs total funding which commenced less than a year.

"We expect the governor and its commissioner for works to stop deceiving the general public and provide proper funding for the Ayakoromo bridge project, like the way the governor is committed to the funding of the three bridges and other road projects in his two communities, Okpe and Uvwie, and his local government area," they added.

The group's statement had also sparked calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of public projects by the Delta State government.

Meanwhile, the Ayakoromo bridge project is a critical infrastructural project aimed at connecting riverine communities in the state, and its completion is eagerly anticipated by residents, who hope it will improve their access to basic services and economic opportunities.

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