The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Babayo Ardo has said the Ministry will expand 70 percent of its 2021 budget on the completion of the East-West project.
Ardo while inspecting the East-West road at Section IV (Eket Bypass Dual Carriage Way and Onne/Eket-Oron road) in Akwa Ibom State, on Friday said that the Ministers are both working round the clock to ensure the completion of the East-West road, emphasising that about 70 percent of the Ministry’s budget of 2021 will be channelled to the project for the benefit of the Niger Delta region.
“I am highly satisfied with what I have seen, the contractors are all on-site working assiduously in line with President Muhammadu Buhari directive to complete and commission this priority project before the first quarter of 2022”.
“For the past two days the Hon. Minister of State, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA), Sen. Omotayo Alasoadura and I, have been on the East-West road for inspection, that Section (I) which covers Warri in Delta State to Kaima in Bayelsa has already been completed last year”, he added.
In his remarks, the representative of the Ministry, Engineer Okoro Iheomamere said that the phase 1 of the Eket bridge is already completed, work is in progress at Bridge 5 and Construction work at the stage of earthworks to stabilize the swampy terrain is ongoing at Eket bypass.
According to him, the section (IV) of the East-West Road project is about 95.7% complete revealing that few works are remaining at the Deck-on-pile Section of Eket bridge.
Responding to the Permanent Secretary’s comments at the Eket and Oron axis of the East-West Road, the Project Manager/Coordinator, Gitto Construction Company Nigeria Ltd, Chief Ghanem H. Rasbieh explained that the mobilization of the basic equipment to the sites have hastened the pace of work adding that most of the sites would be completed soon and ready for commissioning.
He stated that the Eket by-pass when completed would lead straight to Calabar from the various Niger Delta States as commuters will enjoy seamless movement on that route without experiencing traffics, noting that the company engages the community and the youths to ensure a peaceful atmosphere that enables them to work effectively, while compensation is about 99 percent done.
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