Delta State Governance, Budget 2024/2025: The Neglect of Delta Ijaw Communities and the Ayakoromo Bridge Saga_ lBy Saibakumo Williams Jnr

Delta State Governance, Budget 2024/2025: The Neglect of Delta Ijaw Communities and the Ayakoromo Bridge Saga_ lBy Saibakumo Williams Jnr 

Good morning all !!!

Delta State, one of Nigeria’s oil-producing states, plays a crucial role in the country’s economic landscape. Despite contributing significantly to the national revenue, the Ijaw communities in the state remain grossly underdeveloped. The 2024 and 2025 budgets of Delta State reflect a pattern of neglect, as no significant projects have been assigned to the Delta Ijaw communities. The most glaring example of this systemic abandonment is the 12-year-old Ayakoromo Bridge project, which remains uncompleted, affecting multiple communities in Burutu and Bomadi Local Government Areas. This infrastructure deficit, coupled with worsening social services, exposes the failure of governance in Delta State.

Delta State Budget 2024 and 2025: A Pattern of Neglect

The Delta State budgets for 2024 and 2025, like previous ones, continue to sideline the Ijaw communities in terms of meaningful development projects. The allocation of funds disproportionately favors urban centers like Asaba, Warri, and Ughelli, while riverine and oil-producing communities remain neglected. The lack of significant infrastructural projects in these areas is not just an economic injustice but also a clear indication of political marginalization.

For decades, the Delta Ijaw people have endured poor road networks, lack of potable water, inadequate healthcare facilities, and collapsing educational institutions. Yet, the state government continues to prioritize projects that cater to elite interests while ignoring the very communities that generate the wealth sustaining the state. The 2024 and 2025 budgets offer no transformative development blueprint for Ijaw land, leaving the people to suffer from decades-long infrastructural decay and environmental degradation caused by oil exploration.

The Ayakoromo Bridge: A 12-Year-Old Abandoned Promise

One of the most glaring symbols of Delta State’s neglect is the Ayakoromo Bridge project. Initiated during the Uduaghan administration, the bridge was meant to connect several Ijaw communities in Burutu and Bomadi LGAs, easing transportation, boosting commerce, and fostering regional integration. Over a decade later, the project remains incomplete, with successive administrations offering only lip service and token allocations in the budget that never translate into meaningful progress.

The failure to complete the Ayakoromo Bridge has dire consequences for the affected communities. Without a proper bridge, movement between Burutu, Bomadi, and neighboring areas remains arduous, relying on expensive and risky water transport. This situation stifles economic growth, hinders access to healthcare, and deprives students of proper educational opportunities. The bridge is not just an infrastructure project—it is a lifeline for thousands of people who continue to suffer due to government negligence.

Social Infrastructure Decay in Ijaw Land

Beyond the bridge, Delta Ijaw communities face a deepening crisis of infrastructural collapse. Schools in many riverine areas lack teachers, learning materials, and proper facilities, leaving children at a disadvantage compared to their peers in urban centers. Health centers are underfunded, with many lacking doctors, essential drugs, and functional medical equipment. Roads, where they exist, are in deplorable conditions, making transportation both difficult and expensive.

Another major issue is the environmental destruction caused by oil exploration, which has resulted in pollution, loss of livelihoods, and health hazards. Yet, rather than investing in environmental remediation and sustainable development, the government remains indifferent, allowing multinational oil companies to exploit these communities with little accountability.

The Nonchalant Attitude of Delta Leaders

One of the most frustrating aspects of this neglect is the complacency of political leaders from the Ijaw region. Instead of demanding infrastructural development and economic empowerment for their people, many of these leaders are more interested in securing political appointments for personal gain. Rather than pushing for the completion of the Ayakoromo Bridge or championing development initiatives, they settle for minor appointments—mere “porridge recipes” that do nothing to uplift their communities.

This culture of political patronage has allowed successive administrations to ignore the Ijaw people’s needs without consequence. Leaders who should be advocating for their people’s rights are instead focused on personal political survival, leaving the communities to fend for themselves. This betrayal by local political elites further compounds the suffering of the Ijaw people, as there is no strong internal pressure to hold the government accountable.

Conclusion: The Urgent Need for Action

The continued neglect of the Ijaw communities in Delta State, as reflected in the 2024 and 2025 budgets, is a glaring injustice that must be addressed. The completion of the Ayakoromo Bridge should be prioritized, alongside the provision of basic infrastructure such as roads, healthcare, education, and electricity. The Ijaw people must also demand accountability from their leaders, rejecting those who prioritize personal benefits over community development.

It is time for the government of Delta State to recognize that true development is inclusive and equitable. The Ijaw people deserve more than empty promises—they deserve action, commitment, and tangible improvements in their living conditions. If this systemic neglect continues, the consequences will not only be economic but also political, as the growing frustration of the people could lead to stronger resistance against the state’s continued marginalization of its most resource-rich but underdeveloped communities.