By Ovie Adasaji
Indigenes of Ikpide Community of Delta state had, recently, taken to the streets to expose some individuals whom they claimed are enemies of the community and who have been caught in attempts to sabotage the peace in the community by making themselves clogs in the wheel of progress.
While others were chanting in different tunes with placards having different inscriptions that communicated their protesting messages, the councillor representing the community, Hon. Engr. Odi Humphrey, while speaking to newsmen on behalf of the gathering crowd, said the gathering was a reaction to chains of blackmail from some persons who had taken to the social media to condemn the efforts of government and the contracting firm handling the internal roads project, as their way of settling personal scores with the contractor.
According to Humphrey, the said persons had approached the contractor with bribery demands which the contractor refused to attend to, reason they took to the social media to launch blackmails and campaigns of calumny against the project.
Describing the situation as unfortunate, the lawmaker hinted that it was in reaction to the development that the people had pulled out into the streets in solidarity and to show the world that what they have been reading on social media does not reflect the true situation.
“I learnt from a very reliable source that the journalist (name withheld) who has been engaging in the lies peddling about the quality of the Ikpide road project had asked his younger brother to approach the contractor with demands, and when the contractor refused to indulge them, they took to the social media to launch their blackmail. And there are evidence of recorded calls to confirm that”, he said.
In his assessment of the project, Humprey said, “as an engineer who understands the process and challenges in road construction in riverine areas, I can tell you that the contractor is doing a good job. If you go round some road projects in nearby communities within this riverine area done by other contractors, you will know that what you’re seeing here is second to none”.
While commending Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for choosing to make history as the one who came to the rescue of the community, he further appealed to the governor to ensure that work commences soon on the second phase of the project.
“This is a boundary community surrounded by other communities that are not part of Delta state. So we can say that this job was awarded purely for our sake. Reason the people are so appreciative of the governor and their mouths full of praises, awaiting when he will come to commission the road. However, this is the first phase of the project, and I am using this medium to appeal to the governor to ensure the second phase of the job begins soon, so as to make our joy complete, he added”.
The people matched through major streets of the community chanting solidarity songs for the government and their son, High Chief Immanuel Emoefe whom they claimed God used to attract the project and other amenities to the community.
