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 LGA, as a historic intervention that has ended decades of isolation and hardship for riverine communities in Andoni.
Speaking during an interview in Ataba, the Head Chief of Ogogo Village, Chief John Ekwang, said 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 Commission 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, the Chairman of the Elders Forum in Ataba, Mr ThankGod Egart, 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 similar commendation, a fish trader, Mr George Okop, 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.
A school teacher from Ataba, Mrs Sarah Johnson, 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 Chairman Mr Chiedu Ebie and Managing Director Dr Samuel Ogbuku, in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda
