The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency, Comrade Abang Pius Besong, has tasked President Bola Tinubu, Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to urgently intervene on the 140km Ikom-Boki-Obudu federal highway rehabilitation.
Besong, made the call on Saturday during a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP in Calabar, said the road has collapsed completely and is cutting off Boki communities from the rest of the state.
He stated that the development has led to economic hardship to the people of Boki local government area of Cross River State.
In an appeal titled “Our Road, Our Life, Our Survival,” addressed to President Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Works David Umahi, Governor Otu, federal lawmakers from Cross River and development agencies, sighted by LEADERSHIP, the reps candidate stated that the corridor known locally as Ikom-Wula-Obudu Road is the only lifeline of the people of Boki nation in Cross River.
He described the approximately 140-kilometre road linking Boki with Ikom and other states as critical to the survival and economy of the people, lamenting that it has become deplorable and impassable.
“Farmers struggle to transport their harvests to markets. Produce risks being damaged or wasted. Transport costs increase, while ordinary families bear the consequences,” Besong said, adding that viral videos circulating in the cyber space have shown trucks and buses stuck helplessly in deep mud while conveying agricultural produce.
He stated that Boki is blessed with cocoa, timber and other agricultural produce that contribute significantly to the economy of Cross River and the nation, yet suffers serious infrastructure neglect.
He warned that the situation directly affects livelihoods, food security, education, healthcare and local commerce.
Besong urged the nation leaders to put politics aside and ensure immediate inspection of the 140km stretch, documentation of the worst sections and pursuit of both emergency palliative measures and permanent rehabilitation to reconnect Boki to the state’s economic centres.