Ebonyi completes 627km roads

From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

The Ebonyi State government has completed more than 627 kilometres of roads across the state.

The state Commissioner for Works,  Stanley Mbam, made the disclosure  on Monday while addressing journalists after the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ebonyi State Council inspected major projects executed by the administration as part of activities to her 2026 Press Week.

The commissioner said the governor’s performance should be assessed based on the People’s Charter of Needs manifesto presented to the electorate before he was elected into office, stressing that the administration had recorded significant progress in infrastructure development in the area of urban renewal, rural roads and bridges.

“From 2023, this is three years and some months. For me, His Excellency has done well, based on the People’s Charter of Needs he came on board with,” Mbam said.

He said the administration had not concentrated development in the state capital alone, but had extended road construction and bridge projects to rural communities to improve connectivity, adding that about 627 kilometres of roads had been completed, and many are still ongoing.

Mbam also defended the pace of work on the Vanco Flyover and Underground Tunnel, explaining that the project is more complex than a conventional flyover as it included an underground tunnel, double deck, ancillary roads and a bypass tunnel.

“I have confidence with the job schedules of the Ministry of Works, resident engineers, and the people in charge of the job. I believe His Excellency may choose to commission it to start his second tenure or probably commission it before.

But I’m sure, from now to February, that job will be completed,” he said.

Describing the Vanco project as one of its kind in the Southeast, the commissioner said it was being executed with local engineers, adding that the project is a demonstration of the capacity of local engineers to deliver complex infrastructure.

He urged journalists to base their reports on projects they had independently inspected, rather than unverified claims on social media, saying constructive criticism remained essential to good governance, but should be based on facts.

Mbam also commended the NUJ for using its Press Week to inspect government projects, while expressing confidence in Nwifuru’s re-election bid in 2027, saying the governor had earned the support of the people through his administration’s programmes and projects.