Indigenes of NembeIbe in the Bayelsa EastSenatorial District of Bayelsa State, have expressed concern over the slow pace of work on the Ogbia-Nembe road and the abandonment of the Nembe-Brass road project aimed at linking the island to mainland Yenagoa.Though, work on the road project linking the oil and gas rich island had been awarded in phases to different constructions firms by both the Federal and Bayelsa State governments.Mr Nengi James in an interview with Community News, said though the current efforts between the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and SPDC appeared to be the only serious initiative to link the Nembe-Ibe by road, the slow pace of work has been a source of worry to the people.Mr James who lauded Setraco, the company handling the Ogbia-Nembe section of the link road for doing its best in spite of the challenges on the route, lamented the abandonment of the Bayelsa State government sponsored Nembe-Brass axis of the road being handled by another company.He said though, the contract for the construction of Nembe-Brass axis had been awarded by the state government and the contractor mobilised, nothing tangible had been done.'Work on the Ogbia-Nembe stretch of the road project for now seems to be the only serious initiative to link some parts of Nembe Ibe area by road,' he said, adding, 'work has since been abandoned on the Nembe-Brass axis which was awarded by the state government and the contractor paid.'He also decried the abandonment of the Federal Government sponsored Yenegwe-Okarki-Okolo Creek road project which he described as the first phase of the scheme to link the Nembe-Brass Island which is host to the Brass LNG, one of the nation's oil export terminals and other oil facilities.Lamenting the plight of the people of the area, he said, 'in spite of our huge collective contribution to Nigeria's public revenues, especially in the past 50 years, the Nembe-Brass Island has remained unconnected by road to the rest of Nigeria.'According to him, 'the Nembe-Ibe area is the only area of its geographical size and pre-eminent oil/gas production status in Nigeria that is not connected to the rest of ('Mainland') Nigeria by road. Our people feel frustrated at this total neglect.'He noted with regret that government and the oil companies had at different times since the 1960's, variously promised to link the different communities and oil/gas locations in the island but 'they have been consistent only in not fulfilling their promises.
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