Military Roadblocks In Delta Must Go – Uduaghan

Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan on Wednesday said all the military roadblocks in Delta State will be dismantled immediately.

The governor, who spoke at the 2014 Law Week of the Warri Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, the roadblocks, especially in Warri areas, have outlived their usefulness. He however stated that those at strategic locations are to be removed gradually.


The governor also called for the institution of true federalism in Nigeria, expressing the hope that the National Conference would help entrench the practice of federalism in its true sense.

He praised the theme of the celebration, “Federalism, Democracy and Leadership in Nigeria,” and lamented that federalism as currently practised in Nigeria was an unfair departure from the tenets and principles of the concept of federalism.

“If we agree to practise federalism, then we must practise it the way it is properly defined. For now we are not there yet in terms of federalism. When it suits certain persons, it is federalism and when it does not suit them it is not federalism. But we will get there someday,” he said.

The governor praised the NBA for constructively drawing attention of government to critical issues devoid of the usual sycophancy, describing the trend as a great support to his administration.

“When you draw the attention of the administration in a very mature way to issues that affect the state that have to be attended to, for me there is no greater support than that.

“In our position people tell us what we want to hear. People tell you so that you are happy. But when we see a group of people who tell us not with the purpose to make us happy but for us to effect changes, that for me is much greater support than any other support,” he said.

Uduaghan explained that his administration was stepping up efforts at its infrastructure development programme, especially in the Warri area, adding that the Ubeji and Jedo Roads among others were being upgraded to dual-carriage ways to ease free movement.

Chairman of the Warri branch of the NBA, Ben Oji had drawn the attention of the state government to a number of issues, including security, infrastructure development, funding of the judiciary.

Frontiersnews