L-R: NDDC Corporate Affairs Director, Seledi Thompson-Wakama; the NDDC Director, Project Monitoring and Supervision, Engr. Gbenga Omowanle; the Director, Rivers State Office, Engr. Okezie Ule; the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku; the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Dr Victor Antai; and the Managing Director, Jilian Group, Christian Emeozor, during an inspection of the Kaa-Ataba Road Bridge in Khana LGA, Rivers State.
Community leaders and stakeholders in Ataba Kingdom, Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, have hailed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the construction of the Kaa-Ataba Road and Bridge project, describing it as a landmark intervention that will transform the socio-economic fortunes of riverine communities.
The project, which connects Kaa in Khana Local Government Area to Ataba in Andoni, comprises a 1.2-kilometre main bridge, a 250-metre secondary bridge and a two-kilometre dual carriageway linking the two local government areas.
Speaking during an interview in Ataba, the Head Chief of Ogogo Village, Chief John Ekwang, said the community was overwhelmed with joy over the project, which he described as the longest bridge in the Niger Delta.
Ekwang said the people of Ataba and neighbouring communities had endured decades of hardship, relying exclusively on wooden boats to access markets, schools, healthcare facilities and other essential services.
He recalled that the absence of a road link had exposed residents, particularly schoolchildren and women, to dangerous river crossings, while traders frequently lost their fish and agricultural produce during transportation.
“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.
The community leader pledged the people’s support for the NDDC, assuring that youths in the area would be mobilised to protect the infrastructure against vandalism and other forms of damage.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Ataba Elders Forum, Mr ThankGod Egart, said the bridge would significantly improve transportation, stimulate commercial activities and strengthen security across the area.
Egart recalled the human and economic losses associated with the community’s dependence on boat transportation, expressing optimism that the new road connection would ease the movement of people and goods.
“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,” he said.
A fish trader, Mr George Okop, said the project had rekindled hope among traders, particularly those in the fishing business, who had faced high transportation costs and difficulties preserving their catches.
He noted that direct road access would reduce dependence on boats and the cost of purchasing ice to preserve fish during transportation to major markets.
Similarly, a teacher from Ataba, Mrs Sarah Johnson, said travelling from the community to Port Harcourt had been a major challenge, with residents sometimes spending about two hours waiting for boats to cross the river to Kaa.
She expressed gratitude to the NDDC, saying the bridge would ease the transportation burden on residents, improve access to essential services and create better economic opportunities.
The NDDC said the Kaa-Ataba Bridge was among several legacy projects being delivered by its current Board and Management, led by Chairman, Mr Chiedu Ebie, and Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, in alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The project is expected to open up previously inaccessible communities, facilitate the movement of agricultural and fishery products, improve access to education and healthcare, and strengthen economic integration between Andoni and Khana.
