By Blessing Ibunge:
Four persons have been killed in a fatal accident that occurred yesterday at Aleto Eleme Bridge on East/West Road in Rivers State.
THISDAY gathered that a 40feet tanker lost its balance on the bridge pushing a moving Toyota Sienna car and Toyota Hilux from the bridge into the Aleto River.
This is happening barely one week after a tanker fell on a commercial bus between New Town Junction and Onne trailer Park axis of same East/West Road, where eight people were later confirmed dead in the accident.
It would be recalled that the same road which was in a deplorable state at the time of incident, has received so much media publicity, seeking the attention of the government to the road leading to the Port Harcourt Refining Company and other major multinational companies.
The incident of yesterday has attracted so many reactions as residents and commuters have lamented, stressing that wondering how many lives will go down on the road before attention is given to the deplorable road.
The President General of Ogoni Youth Federation, Comrade Legborsi Yamaabana and his team who went on a rescue mission at the scene, have given the federal government an ultimatum to fix the road, accusing the government of being responsible for the deaths of the victims.
Yamaabana said “federal government through the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs have till the end of October, 2022 to mobilise the contractor handling the road project, Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited to site to fix the entire stretch of the road or faced with season two of mother of all protests from Ogoni youths together with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN), Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) and other interest groups in the Niger Delta, including the Movement for the Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality (MOSIEND).”
The Ogoni Youth President General reiterated that the federal government is vicariously liable and guilty of the deaths of the commuters on the East-West Road.
The Ogoni Youth President General vowed to institute civil action against the government of the federation after the ongoing consultations with the bereaved families.
OYF extended its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayed to God Almighty to give them the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss of their loved ones.
He also called on “Ogoni people not to take laws into their hands but to continue to believe in us as we shall stop at nothing to ensure that their rights and interests are always protected.”
