Bayelsa communities that survived soley on boats for 60 years finally gets road

• After 60 years of isolation, riverine communities in Bayelsa's Southern Ijaw LGA finally have road access, having previously depended solely on boats for transportation.

• President Bola Tinubu officially opened the Yenagoa–Oporoma and Sagbama–Ekeremor roads, linking these remote areas to the state capital, Yenagoa.

• The new highways, which Governor Douye Diri pushed forward, are expected to make travel easier and cheaper, boost economic activity, and improve living standards.

The Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas in Bayelsa State have finally gained road access after relying solely on boats for transportation for about 60 years.

President Bola Tinubu on Friday officially inaugurated the Yenagoa–Oporoma Road and also virtually commissioned the Sagbama–Ekeremor Road.

The two major projects now connect remote riverine communities to Yenagoa, the state capital, making travel easier and cheaper.

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Bayelsa State was created in 1996 from Rivers State. The idea for these roads dates back to the 1960s, when plans were first made to open up oil- and gas-rich communities in the Niger Delta.

However, the projects were abandoned for decades and never completed.

Construction was later revived and pushed forward in recent years under Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, who committed state resources to developing the difficult, swampy terrain.

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The Yenagoa–Oporoma road features a 630-metre bridge across the Nun River, linking Oporoma—the headquarters of Southern Ijaw LGA—to Yenagoa.

The Sagbama–Ekeremor road also opens up several coastal communities such as Peretorugbene, Aghoro, and Agge, which were previously difficult to reach by land.

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Many residents described the project as life-changing. For decades, people depended on boats, which made travel slow, expensive, and sometimes dangerous.

With the new roads, locals say they can now travel directly from Yenagoa to their communities by car for the first time.

Community leaders and stakeholders also praised the project, saying it will boost economic activity, improve living standards, and reduce accidents on waterways.

Southern Ijaw is one of Nigeria’s most resource-rich areas, especially in oil and gas, but it has also been one of the least developed in terms of infrastructure.

The new roads are expected to change that by linking long-isolated communities to the rest of Bayelsa State and beyond.

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