…Says entire region is locked inside their homes: people can’t travel anymore in the South‑South
His Royal Majesty, King Obukowho Monday Arthur Whiskey (JP+), Ph.D, the Ovie of Great Idjerhe Kingdom, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently address the worsening condition of federal roads across the South-South region, describing them as “death traps” that are endangering lives, stalling economic progress, and fueling insecurity.
The monarch made this known on Monday in his palace at Idjerhe town, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, during a courtesy visit by the Publisher of GbaramatuVoice, Mr. Jacob Abai, ahead of the media platform’s 10th anniversary lecture scheduled for August 27–28, 2025, at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Abuja.
King Whiskey expressed deep frustration over the neglect of key federal highways, listing the Benin flyover, Benin–Sapele, Sapele–Warri, Warri–Ughelli, Ughelli–Patani, Patani–Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt–Eket, and Port Harcourt–Calabar roads as critical but severely deteriorated routes.
“The best way to describe those roads is to say they are death traps,” the monarch declared. “I used to drive from this palace to Benin in 28 minutes. But if you take off to Benin now, sometimes after 3 hours, you’ve not even crossed Ologbo or gotten to the bypass.”
According to him, road infrastructure in the region has completely collapsed. “We no longer have roads in South-South Nigeria. What we have now are not motorable roads, they are death traps,” he said.
Citing the poor handling of road construction and rehabilitation projects, the monarch took a swipe at contractors along the Benin–Warri route.
“Go to Ologbo, the contractors are just rigmaroling in one spot. For 3 years now, they’ve not moved. If they finish one side, they put up a barricade, and you expect all the trucks from Northern and Western Nigeria heading to the South-South to squeeze through? It’s unacceptable.”
He noted that these roads are vital as they connect six strategic states in the South-South. “You want to go to Calabar now? Prepare yourself for a two-day journey,” he warned.
King Whiskey also called on the Federal Government to make use of the short dry season window in the Niger Delta, typically from November to April, to fix the most dangerous portions of the roads.
“Some of these failed sections are just 2km or 3km long. What does it take a reasonable government or contractor to fix them?” he queried.
He revealed that during a recent interaction with a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Regional Integration, he drew attention to the roads, only to be told they fall under the Federal Ministry of Works.
“What are they federal ministering? What works are they doing in the South-South today? We can’t go to Benin. We can’t go to Warri. We are locked in. It’s like someone buys a padlock and locks the owner of the house inside.”
The monarch further linked the deteriorating road conditions to rising insecurity in the region.
“If you venture onto those roads, people trekking can meet you, dispossess you of your valuables, and trek back. When the hold-up is tight and nobody is moving, they just come to you and say, ‘Bros, bring your phone.’ But if the vehicle is moving, would they come like that?”
He also highlighted the toll of heavy-duty trucks on the fragile infrastructure, especially those transporting oil and marine equipment.
“When you carry a 60-ton truck loaded with diesel or oil, some of these trucks are five times the weight of a normal one, the roads give way. Yet we are still driving on ‘face-me-I-face-you’ roads in the South-South. These are roads from the 1980s and early ’90s. By now, all federal highways should be dual carriageways.”
Recounting a recent trip from Abuja, he said: “I saw a truck almost one and a half the length of this place, carrying marine materials with escort. To overtake it, you follow it for 30 minutes. If it were dual carriage, such a truck would move freely.”
Despite the state of things, King Whiskey expressed optimism about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership but stressed the need for deliberate action.
“I know that the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu means well for this country. But in meaning well, we desire special attention in the South-South.”
He concluded with a metaphor that reflects the pain of a region contributing so much to the nation’s economy yet lacking basic infrastructure.
“We cannot be laying the golden egg and yet be unable to eat even the normal egg. How? Those who lay the golden egg, shouldn’t they eat from it? We want to eat from that egg.”
