Daniel Agbor|15 April|7:40am
One of the programmes of the present administration is the construction of a superhighway. For some it is 260km while a good number of persons say it’s a 270km superhighway. In any project, building work etc, one of the criteria expected from a person, group and government alike before the commencement of the project is the environmental impact assessment or analysis EIA.
In government, certain operations or due processes are always in place such as pre-bidding, bidding etc before the project commences. Both in all these, the role of EIA is not and cannot be undermined. However, what characterizes the various indices of the Sen. Ben Ayade led administration is the shabby nature at which they are handled. So good the intentions amidst the brewing tension soaked administration, very little is done to erase the plethora of doubts in the minds of the critics stimulating further fears and confirming their position.
Sequel to the ground breaking ceremony earlier organized, feelers from certain quarters doubted the possibility of the date and their fear came to pass as they believe that the EIA was conspicuously not taken into consideration hence the feasibility of the ground breaking was in doubt.
In a rather shabbily exercise of which the government of the day is known to operate, an assemblage of documents was presented to the Ministry of Environment for a temporary EIA to be given pending when the necessary papers might have been concluded and all requirements met by the proviso as stipulated by the law.
Today, the state government have ordered that work should cease on the super highway due to EIA. It is disheartening to note that before this time the state house of assembly under the governor's instructions had passed a law that any person or group of persons who obstruct or disturb the construction work on the super Highway should be arrested and a fine of fifty thousand Naira was placed as bail for his/her release. This was provoked by agitation by some members of the public when it became known that government was not paying compensation whatever for anything that falls within the range of the superhighway which was popular practice and as stipulate by the law. Compensation for economic trees, Graves, shrines, houses etc. The government did not promise paying one third let alone half of the compensation after evaluation because there was no valuation in the first place.
Provoked by this sad scenario, the people of Ekuri in Akamkpa, Ntama in Boki protested and petition the state government through the Ministry of Environment against this backdrop. They complained about the destruction of their source of livelihood and consequence deforestation when the same government is preaching against deforestation evident in the so called green police which is practically non existence.
No wonder some social analyst and political commentators are agitating that the superhighway is yet another scam and a conduit pipe for deforestation projected by the governor. Whether this is true, it is only time that will vindicate the persons involved.
Daniel Agbor
Is a Social Commentator