Succour for commuters in Cross River, Akwa Ibom states

From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

 

 

Succour has come the way of commuters going from Calabar to Uyo or vice-versa. This follows the launch of a luxury boat service that will traverse both state capitals directly without passing through other communities in both states.

The Calabar-Itu Road, which is over 120km, has become a major nightmare for commuters in recent years as the road has failed in several sections.

The failure of the road often leads to breakdown of trucks conveying solid mineral resources from Cross River and this, most times, stalls free flow of traffic for hours and days on end.

The consequence is that a one-hour journey between both states now lasts a minimum of three hours and up to 12 hours or even days, depending on the confusion on the road.

A boat service connects both states through the Calabar-Oron route, but there is np service that connects the capital city of both states.

However, good times have come the way of commuters with the launch of a luxury boat service that will connect both state capitals.

The service is a partnership between the Cross River State Tourism Bureau and Abitto Global Services and it is expected to reduce travel time between Uyo and Calabar to about 35 or 40 minutes.

As part of the arrangement, the company will utilize one of the oldest jetties in the Calabar Estuary located in the heart of the the Marina Resort to offer the ferry service.

It will ferry commuters from the Marina Resort in Calabar to the Abitto Ferry Jetty at the Nwaniba Timber Beach in Uyo.

Speaking  during the launch of the jetty, the managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, welcomed the birth of the service.

He said the service will make people  appreciate the level of underdevelopment within the area and efforts that have been made to bring development.

He said: “Thank you very much for reconnecting us back to our natural means of transportation. Travelling by sea, you encounter our communities, the level of underdevelopment and also what has been achieved.

“You wonder how people build houses by transporting materials with boats. All across the Niger Delta, we have places yet to be connected by road and this service should fill that gap.”

He promised that the NDDC will partner to extend this service to all parts of the region.

Also speaking, Chief Timi Alaibe, a special guest, said Calabar has not been well connected by the river and stressed that the service will save travel time and help reduce carbon emissions.

“The ancient city of Calabar has not been well connected to service in the river. Last time, it took me three hours to Uyo.

“This service will save travel time, encourage reduction of carbon emissions and create jobs. History has been made in Calabar with the launch of this service,” he said.

Richard Akinaka, the chief executive officer of Abitto Global Services, said the service will convey passengers to and from their fully air-conditioned terminals at both ends with comfortable, purpose-built boats.

He added that 90% of the entire infrastructure, including boats, were built by them in Henshaw Town, Calabar, and they have worked out plans with the Nigerian Navy in the two states to make sure nothing threatens the safety of commuters.

Earlier, Prince Ojoi Ekpenyong, the managing director of the Cross River State Tourism Bureau, said the service will operate from one of the first generation of jetties in Calabar.

He said the government was looking for who can restore the ancient jetty and they are happy to celebrate a five star service that will birth in Uyo.

He also thanked the governor for creating the enabling environment for investors and development partners to come into the state.