65 Years of Nigeria Independence : High Comrade Lamienghan Lament the Scourge of Bad Roads Across Nation

 

By Wilson Macaulay

  WARRI

A passionate call has been made by High Comrade Joseph Lamienghan, a prominent grassroot  mobilizer and social justice advocate in the Niger Delta, who has decried the deplorable condition of roads across Nigeria, particularly in the oil-producing region.

65 years after independence.

In his  independence anniversary  statement made available to Daily independent Newspaper, Newspaper, High Comrade Lamienghan described the current state of Nigerian roads  65  years of nationhood  as nothing short of a national disaster, warning that unless urgent steps are taken, the socio-economic impact will continue to worsen and deepen the suffering of already burdened citizens.

> “We are living in abnormal times, where our roads — instead of being channels of movement and commerce — have become corridors of death,” Lamienghan lamented.

“From Port Harcourt to Warri, Benin to Yenagoa, and across the oil-rich Niger Delta, our people are navigating potholes, gullies, and collapsed bridges daily. Vehicles are breaking down. Lives are being lost. The silence from leadership is deafening.”

High Comrade Lamienghan emphasized that while political administrations may come and go, the responsibility of governance remains constant — and must always place the welfare of the people above all to justify the stupendous wealth of Nigeria.

 “Government is continuity. Every new government inherits both the assets and the liabilities of the previous one. But what we are witnessing today is alarming. In less than two years, the rate of road collapse has erased more than eight years of infrastructure development claims. How do we explain this level of decay?” he queried.

He also questioned the willpower and sincerity of public office holders to confront Nigeria’s deep-rooted infrastructure challenges.

 “Is it that we lack engineers? Or is it that we lack conscience?” Lamienghan asked. “The Niger Delta has contributed immensely to the wealth of this nation. Yet we are being repaid with neglect, poor roads, and avoidable deaths.”

Lamienghan seized the opportunity of the independence anniversary to  urge the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Works, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and State Direct Labour Agencies to take immediate steps toward rehabilitating critical roads in the region before the situation becomes irreversible.

“The people of the Niger Delta are watching. History is recording. Let no one be deceived — the patience of Nigerians is wearing thin,” he warned.

 High Comrade Lamienghan in his anniversary speech issued a direct challenge to Niger Delta stakeholders and citizens saying: 

 “Must we wait for outsiders to tell us what to do? We are the voice of the Niger Delta — the oil-bearing region of this country. We must rise and cry out. We must speak to the NDDC, to the Ministry of Works, to Direct Labour agencies. They must act now — because our roads are not just bad; they are a threat to life, to business, and to our dignity.”

It is regrettable that 65 years after independence Nigeria the giant of Africa

has been reduced to a pariah  state, Lamienghan concluded.