For the Records
PRESS BRIEFING BY THE HONOURABLE COMMISSIONER FOR WORKS AND FIRE SERVICE, PROFESSOR ENO IBANGA ON THE UPDATE ON ROAD PROJECTS AND INFRASTRUCTURAL EXPANSION INVESTMENTS UNDER GOVERNOR UMO ENO’S ADMINISTRATION.
My Dear Gentlemen of the Press,
In keeping with this administration’s now entrenched practice of constantly engaging and providing precise, useful and strategic information to Akwa Ibom people on the progress, successes and goals of investments by the Akwa Ibom State Government under the visionary stewardship of His Excellency, Pastor (Dr.) Umo Eno, we here today to inform our citizens, through you, key developments and projections of this administration in the area of infrastructure expansion and consolidation.
Beginning from May 29, 2023 when the ship of the present administration captained by His Excellency Pastor Umo Eno set sail, an impressive mileage has been covered, in this voyage to expand the frontiers of infrastructure and consolidate on existing ones.
We have categorised rise infrastructure into two sets:
1. FUNDING OF PROJECTS INHERITED FROM PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS
Governor Umo Eno has so far injected N47.93 Billion into Thirty-Six (36) of the inherited FGPC projects and N4.04 Billion into Fifty-One (51) of the Emergency intervention Projects inherited from the immediate past administration. A total of 51.96 Billion has been spent in this category.
2. ARISE PROJECTS
The Governor has initiated/flagged off Sixty-One (61) Arise Agenda Projects. Some of such projects have been completed, like:
■Akpan Andem Market
■Amphitheatre Christmas Village Arena
■Atiku Abubakar underground tunnel and
■Goretti secondary school road
These projects have already been completed and commissioned while others are at various stages of completion. N151.66 Billion has been released by this administration to finance Fifty (50) of the FGPC ARISE Agenda Projects while N4.54 Billion Naira has been spent on the Eleven (11) Emergency Intervention ARISE Agenda Projects. In all, a total of N156.20 Billion has been spent on the ARISE Agenda Projects.
For both the initiated and inherited projects, this administration has spent an accumulative sum of N208.16 Billion as at October 18th 2024.
UPDATE ON MAJOR ONGOING/ RECENTLY AWARDED ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
1. TABERNACLE ROAD: The greater part of the work needed for the swift completion of the Tabernacle road has been the excavation which from professional advice from certified civil Engineers should go at least 11 meters deep. This of course is a very deep excavation work which unfortunately was slowed down by perennial rainfall and the absence idbthe the usual August break which we have experienced in Akwa Ibom State this year. The reality remains that if the contractors had ignored the rains and continued with the excavatuon, there is a tendency of accidents or poor project delivery.
However, we understand the challenges faced by commuters in seeking for alternative routes as a result of this construction. Unfortunately, against Government directive, Heavy Duty trucks refused to ply the approved diverted routes for instead they joined other lighter vehicles to use these intra-city roads thereby exerting incalculably harmful pressure on these roads. It is cogent to explain that these intra-city routes were not meant for constant use by these heavy duty trucks. Intra-city Roads like Ikpa Road and Uyo Village road have been badly affected.
However, this administration, being a responsive one, has immediately swung into action with the immediate award of contract for the construction of Uyo village Road and Ikpa Road stretching up to Udoette Street.
UPDATE ON ROADS TO BE INAUGURATED BY GOVERNOR UMO ENO
Soonest , His Excellency Governor Umo Eno will officially inaugurate some strategic road projects in furtherance of this administration’s avowed pledge to expand and consolidate on existing road infrastructure in the State. These roads include:
The 6.97km Ukpana - Akpabom - Ikwe road with 30m span bridge in ONNA and Mkpat Enin LGA
The 2.45km internal roads at Block G, Anua Ifa Ikot Okpon Housing Estate, Uyo.
3.6km Ikot Obio Offong-Nung Ukana (Spur I to Ikot Obio Odongo) - Abaukpo - (Spur II to Afaha Ikot Owop) - Obetok - Obongntong - Enen Nsit - Afaha Udoeyop - Afaha Offong Road in Ibesikpo Asutan LGA.
10.519km Mkpat Enin-Ikot Ubo-Ikot Ntot-Nkikara Road in Mkpat Enin/Ikot Abasi LGA
9.76km Anciliary Roads with 60m Bridge in Nsit Ubium LGA with additional Road measuring 2.3km
4.95km Ekparakwa - Ntak Ibesit Road in Oruk Anam LGA.
2.9km Secretariat Okuko II - Events Road with Spur in Urue-Offiong/Oruko LGA
22.75km Ikot Ekaide - Ikot Okoro - Ibritam Road with two bridges in Oruk Anam LGA
We invite you and all Akwa Ibom people to be a part of these historic events, when the Minisitry of Information publishes the dates and venues.
SUNDRY ISSUES
Gentlemen of the Press, as we move ahead in our journey of road infrastructure expansion and consolidation as encapsulated in the ARISE AGENDA, it is important that we remind ourselves that roads have a lifespan and as it inches closer, the need for maintenance and remedial jobs becomes inevitable. The noticeable potholes on our intracity roads have already received government's attention as the Governor had directed our Minsitry to immediately engage two contractors, in addition to AKROIMA, to undertake maintenance and remedial works on intracity roads. They are only waiting for the rains to stop, before work commences
We continue to plead with citizens of the State to complement Government investments in infrastructural expansion by not erecting structures on waterways, drainages and right of ways.
We also appeal with Akwa Ibom people to desist from constituting themselves into emergency road construction experts through initiating additional designs like speed breakers on the roads, as these can cause early damage to the road infrastructure. The right thing to do is to approach the Ministry of Works with such requests.
THE JOURNEY AHEAD
Let reiterate the firm and sincere commitment by the administration of Pastor Umo Eno to complete the road infrastructure projects he inherited by previous administrations in Akwa Ibom State as well as completing the ones initiated by his administration. As the rainy seasons end, I assure you that this government through the Ministry of works and Fire Service is set to swing into action and exert the needed pressure on contractors handling road projects to complete them within scheduled timelines. Armed with the perfect understanding of the centrality of road and other critical infrastructure to the actualization of the ARISE Agenda, we will continue to make strategic investments that will benefit our state development trajectory in the short, medium and long term.
Thank you for your attention.
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