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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Federal Government said plans are underway to mobilize major stakeholders to a discussion table on how best to fund and complete the East-West Road.
Both government and road users were particularly concerned with the 15-kilometre Eleme to Onne Port junction section of the road, advocating a quick intervention to fix the bad portion of the road.
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani, expressed this concern in Abuja when he hosted the management of Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) led by the Managing Director, Mr. Moussa Nakhla.
The minister was worried that the road project, key the economic development of the oil rich Niger Delta region, was not given due attention required despite the involvement of different stakeholders in the project.
He disclosed that the stakeholders would be drawn from the ministries of Niger Delta Affairs, Budget and National Planning, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), host communities and all the construction companies involved in the project.
He said: “I was in Rivers State last week and I observed the anxiousness of the people about the deplorable condition of the road. But lucky enough, the management of NDDC, promised a quick intervention on the road to make it passable pending the improved budgetary allocation for the project.”
Nakhla said they were ready to mobilize to site if the project was duly captured in the 2017 budget.
He differed on the temporary fix of the road, describing such as waste of time and resources, but opted for lobby with the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and members of the National Assembly to improve the budgetary allocation to complete the project.
