Your Disagreement Must Not Become the Burden of the South-South
Dear Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, and Distinguished Senator Adams Oshiomhole,
I write to you as a concerned citizen of the Niger Delta and as someone who believes that public office is a sacred trust, exercised not for personal or political interests, but for the common good.
The South-South occupies a historic place in Nigeria today. Senator Godswill Akpabio serves as the President of the Senate—the highest office in the Senate and the third highest constitutional office in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is a rare privilege for our region and one that should inspire hope, unity, and purposeful leadership.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole is likewise an influential national leader whose voice carries weight in the Senate and across Nigeria.
It is therefore deeply disappointing that public attention has increasingly focused on disagreements and political confrontations instead of the urgent needs of the people who elected you.
Our region faces a far greater crisis.
The East-West Road—the economic lifeline of the Niger Delta—remains a national disgrace. For over two decades, successive governments have allocated enormous public resources to this project, yet millions of Nigerians continue to endure avoidable hardship because the road remains incomplete.
Every day, commuters spend endless hours in traffic. Businesses lose billions of naira. Families mourn loved ones lost in preventable accidents. Communities become more vulnerable to insecurity. Investors are discouraged, while ordinary citizens continue to pay the price for government failure.
This should be the defining issue for every elected representative from the South-South.
The people are not asking who is winning political arguments in Abuja.
They are asking when the East-West Road will finally be completed.
This is why I respectfully appeal to both of you to demonstrate statesmanship by placing the common good above political disagreements. Your respective positions give you the influence to mobilise bipartisan support for an East-West Road Emergency Initiative that would prioritise adequate funding, transparent implementation, independent oversight, and clear timelines for completion.
Imagine what history would say if, under the leadership of a South-South Senate President and with the united support of South-South senators, Nigeria finally completed the East-West Road.
That would be a legacy worthy of remembrance.
History rarely remembers political quarrels. It remembers leaders who solved problems.
I therefore leave you with one simple but profound question:
What do you want history to remember you for?
Will it remember that, at a time when the South-South held unprecedented influence in the National Assembly, its leaders were divided while the East-West Road continued to deteriorate?
Or will it remember that you rose above differences, united in the interest of your people, and secured the completion of the most important highway in the Niger Delta?
The answer lies with you.
The people of the Niger Delta deserve leadership that rises above politics. They deserve leaders who will use every constitutional power available to advance the welfare of the region and the nation.
May this be your defining moment.
The common good is always greater than personal or political differences.
Yours faithfully,
Rev. David Ugolor
Civil Society Leader
Common Good Letter Initiative