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By Josiah Egbilika
The media has widely been acknowledged as a fourth tier of government. Besides its informative role, it has been credited as a watchdog.
Beyond this role, the media has become an advocacy tool for social development. Remarkable achievements have been accoladed to journalists, On-Air-Personnel and even media houses in actualizing social developmental objectives of communities.
In Rivers State, the media held the police accountable for the unjust torture of the Ikoku-5; unmasked the unjust gruesome murder of four University of Port Harcourt (Uniport) students, now referred as the Aluu-4. These and many more including transparency and accountability of public officers as well as calls for completion of abandoned projects.
One of such calls is that made by Awajibokoiton Josiah-Chijindu (fondly known as Awajis) for the completion of the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro unity road.
The Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo unity road was awarded by a former governor of Rivers State, Sir Dr. Peter Odili. The road remained until the tenure of former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Before the administration of His Excellency, Chief Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike, the Ogoni and Opobo/Nkoro sections of the unity road have been completed leaving only the Andoni section.
The Andoni section was abandoned for more than 22 years with little or nothing done to avert the suffering of the people. August 5, 2022, a journalist with Radio Nigeria, Treasure 98.5FM Port Harcourt, Awajibokoiton George (Now Awajibokoiton Josiah-Chijindu by marriage) made and posted a video of the devastating nature of the road. She lamented how the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro unity road had been abandoned even though its counterparts were completed.
In the video she shared on her Facebook wall, which was also shared on the Andoni people Facebook Page, Awajis (fondly called) called on the then government, Chief Barrister Nyesom Wike to complete the road. She stressed the plight of the people and how the vehicle conveying her and follow journalists got stuck on the way.
Her advocacy video went viral necessitating the then former governor to call for a stakeholder meeting of the Andoni people to which an invitation was also extended to her for her advocacy engagement.
The result of the advocacy brought about the remobilization of Raffoul Nigeria Limited back to site to ensure completion of the Andoni section of the Unity Road. September 14, October 18 and November 12, 2022, Awajis made visits to the Andoni section of the unity road to witness the pace of work. She discovered that the pace of the work was slow and demanded the foreign contractor to double their men and efforts in three separate posts on her Facebook wall. At the end of Chief Barrister Nyesom Wike’s tenure, the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Unity Road was yet to be completed.
June 10, 2023, few weeks after Siminalayi Fubara’s inauguration as Rivers State Governor, he revoked the re-awarded contract of the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Unity Road and awarded it to MCC, another construction company.
Awajis did not relent in updating on the progress of the road on her Facebook wall using her RUSH strategy (RUSH – Report Until Something Happens coined by Mrs. Ann Godwin while commenting on Awajis’ posts).
May 18, 2024, barely two years after Awajibokoiton Josiah-Chijindu’s advocacy video went viral, the Andoni people were in joyous and celebration mood as the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro unity road was finally completed and commissioned for use by the Rivers State government led by His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara after 24 years of abandonment.
It is on this note that I call on the Rivers State Government, Andoni Local Government, Emouha Local Government and well-meaning Nigerians to honour and recognise the effort of Awajibokoiton Josiah-Chijindu as an encouragement to media personnel and Nigerians who go all out to ensure the development of the society in their little corner.
Mr. Egbilika, linguist, Indigenous Language advocate, Gender and Human Rights defender, writes from Port Harcourt