Engr Nkpubre Okon Nkpubre speaks about the Oron - Calabar bridge.

The controversial Oron - Calabar bridge raising interest by some high profile individuals, is not taking a pretty smile.


Engr Nkpubre Okon Nkpubre wrote:

"I have come to realize that Lawyers, Politicians, Journalists and others with good communication skills can argue equally convincingly for or against an issue or a position depending on where their interests lie.

 To these people,TRUTH is a variable and depends on their ability to twist, colorize and interpret words, situations and actions to make undiscerning public believe as TRUTH what they want them to believe. Sometimes they know that what they have made people believe as TRUTH is actually false, but this serves their interest at that point in time and they glorify themselves with sense of achievement. This is what the managers of propaganda do in politics and war.

I am surprised at the gamut of commentaries by educated Oron people on the controversy surrounding the realignment of Section V of the East –West road where Oron people are supposed to be the main beneficiaries. I was introduced  in the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in 2012 to Section V of the East-West road at the Conceptual Design stage and I was excited to high heavens with the preferred alignment  linking Oron  to Calabar  with only a 22.5 Km road including bridges. I was excited because with this road, I had thought it would be possible for an indigent Oron student who cannot afford accommodation in Calabar to live in Oron Town and attend lectures in the University of Calabar.

It is disturbing to observe that those who appear to be supporting the realignment of the road in line with Chief Amana’s proposal claim they are doing so because the realignment best serve the interest of Oron people and those who are against the realignment claim that it is against the interest of Oron people. The question is who defines or decides what best serve the interest of Oron people?   In this 21st century, is the science or art of road alignment through Oron community too sophisticated that Oron people cannot on their own collectively decide  which alignment best serves their interest?  If there was any doubt about the effects of the originally preferred alignment on Oron community, does Oron Nation not have a platform or forum where such effects could have been presented, collectively discussed and decision taken?

Some of the arguments put forward by some educated Oron people insult the intelligence of other educated Oron people and constitute an embarrassment to the whole Oron Nation."