From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
The Federal Government has approved the re-award of two bypasses of the 2nd Niger Bridge, linking the Asaba-Benin and Enugu-Onitsha dual carriageways.
Minister of Works, Engineer Nweze Dave Umahi, disclosed this when he received a delegation of the South-South Caucus of the 10th Assembly, Federal House of Representatives.
Umahi also revealed that the government had equally approved that Section III of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway be started on the Cross River–Akwa Ibom axis of the superhighway and that the East-West Road be given accelerated attention.
The minister said he was humbled by the visit of the caucus and their expression of a burning desire to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Works and support the life-changing initiatives of the Renewed Hope administration, which aims to change the negative narrative of years of road failures, deficiencies, and insufficiencies.
“And so, I want to commend the president very highly for the courage of this project. The four legacy projects of Mr President are icing on the cake. We will finish the Lagos-Calabar 700 kilometres, and with your support and, of course, by God’s special grace, the miracle of the second tenure will still come to pass, and so we have time to get this project fully completed. I have no apologies when I speak that we need time to get this project completed because he that has started this good work, God will give him time to finish it, and it will be a catalyst for economic growth,” he said.
He warned lazy contractors that non-performing contracts on federal roads would be terminated and assured that by the time the president’s vision in the works sector is fully accomplished, Nigeria would achieve significant milestones in economic growth and prosperity.
In a statement, the minister announced that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had re-awarded three sections of the East-West Road.
“On Eleme-Onne Road, we have agreed to commit RCC Limited within the first carriageway of 15 kilometres, including one bridge and one flyover. But for us to get this road completed by December, as it should be, we must definitely need to engage two extra contractors. But if they are wise, they could get sub-contractors and put on that 15-kilometre stretch so that they can save the job. But they cannot keep the job when the people are suffering on that road.
“On Agbor route, we’ve sent the document. It’s going to be done on a public-private partnership (PPP). And so, we’ve sent the amount to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). We will hopefully get approval by next week. And then, we’ll call you so that we can do a groundbreaking ceremony. We would not want to do anything without getting you involved,” he said.
Presenting his mission statement on behalf of the South-South Caucus in the Federal House of Representatives, the leader of the caucus, who also doubles as the leader of the Bayelsa State Caucus, Honourable Agbedi Yeitiemone Frederick, said their visit was to engage the Federal Ministry of Works on the state of the roads in the South-South, which the present administration inherited, and to seek decisive government action on the projects being delayed by contractors in the area.
He, however, commended the president for the recent approval of funds by the FEC for the execution of some projects in the South-South, particularly the approval to have Section III of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway started in the South-South zone. He decried the difficulties faced by virtually all the South-South states in connecting with one another and in linking to the North, East, and West. He also offered the caucus’s collaboration in achieving the road infrastructure goals of the Renewed Hope administration in the South-South and across Nigeria.
“Yes, we know that there are works, there are projects, there’s construction going on. But we want to seriously say that the work level is slow, and our people are suffering. Our people are really suffering. Today, it’s difficult for you to fly to Benin and access the other parts of Benin. Today, it’s difficult for you to land in Port Harcourt and even go through the industrial part of Rivers State, particularly in the Eleme-Ogoni axis. Today, if you fly to Akwa Ibom, it makes it absolutely difficult for you to access Cross River State and Calabar,” he said, while appealing to contractors to assist their communities through employment, empowerment, and skill development as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Works, Mohammad Bello Goronyo, assured that the present government would fix the ailing roads but would require the support and cooperation of Nigerians.
“The minister has demonstrated his capacity, experience, and knowledge by bringing a lot of innovations in the discharge of the mandate of his office and in piloting the affairs of this ministry. Through him, we can have it better. So, this is the time for us to join hands together. And we are sure that you will continue to give us full support for this vision so that together we achieve our aspirations to build a virile nation, a prosperous nation, a nation that we can all be proud of,” he said.