Follow Us on Google
From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Cross River State Government has commenced renovation of structures destroyed during the ENDSARS protest in Calabar.
Recall that on October 20, 2020 there was a nationwide protest against the disbanded police unit, Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) which was hijacked by hoodlums that led to the destruction of property with Cross River rated as the worst hit.
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Hon Pius Ankpo, who stated this while interacting with the media shortly after an inspection of the ongoing renovation at the ministry’s premises in Calabar, said Governor Bassey Otu is committed to repositioning the state as a world class in terms of infrastructural development.
The Commissioner further said the buildings when revamped will address accommodation challenges occasioned by merger of ministry of Infrastructure and other related agencies.
“With the merger of the ministry of infrastructure and the need for office accommodation for the Rural Access And Mobility Project (RAAMP) , it is expedient to renovate our facilities inline with the Governor Bassey Otu administration’s determination of bridging infrastructure gap in the state”.
The Commissioner, who expressed optimism in the government’s commitment to place the state in world map, hinted that various stakeholders have sought collaboration with the ministry to address infrastructural issues
Hon. Ankpo, who decried the level of destruction orchestrated by the #ENDSARS protest, noted that the state will explore all avenue to ensure a holistic approach in revamping facilities across government parastartals.
He enjoined contractors handling the renovation project to live up to contractual billing of ensuring the job is delivered on time as the administration was on the go to deliver on its mandate for a better Cross River State.
In an interview, with the site supervisor, Architect Goodness Eze, he said the work has been ongoing consistently in the last few days, noting that workers have are on site twenty-fours to ensure the job is delivered as when due.
