After 23 Years of Neglect, NDDC Constructs First Ever Tarred Road to Edo State Polytechnic, Usen,
By EgbemaVoice
For over twenty-three years, Edo State Polytechnic in Ovia-South West Local Government Area existed without a functional road network. Not a single metre of tarred road served this academic community. I listened to accounts of how students and staff endured clouds of dust in the dry season and waded through mud whenever it rained—all in their pursuit of knowledge and service. That reality was unacceptable to me.
In alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I am proud that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in strong collaboration with the Edo State Government, has decisively changed that narrative.
Under my leadership, the Commission has delivered a total of 4.8 kilometres of asphalt pavement within this institution—comprising 4.59 kilometres of internal road network and a 205-metre dual carriageway at the main entrance. Beyond laying asphalt, I ensured we confronted the underlying environmental challenges by constructing 4.205 kilometres of reinforced concrete drainage channels, alongside a 32-metre by 900-millimetre reinforced concrete ring culvert, effectively addressing the persistent erosion that had long threatened this terrain.
Present at the commissioning were the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency Monday Okpebholo; the Honourable Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh; the Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong; the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Chiedu Ebie; the NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Boma Iyaye; the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Victor Antai; and other distinguished members of the Commission’s management team.
For me, this project goes far beyond infrastructure. It is about restoring dignity to a learning environment that waited more than two decades for meaningful intervention. It is about providing safe, accessible pathways that now seamlessly connect administrative blocks, lecture halls, and hostels.
As Managing Director, I remain steadfast in my commitment to ensuring that the NDDC continues to fulfil its mandate as a proactive interventionist agency. Today, we have done more than construct roads—we have restored confidence, strengthened access to education, and reinforced hope for the people of the Niger Delta.
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