From Judex Okoro, Calabar
Community leaders and motorists in Cross Northern senatorial district have hailed Governor Ben Ayade’s rural road transformation project within the zone.
Ayade on assumption of office inaugurated the construction of 148km Mfum-Okpoma-Bekwara-Obudu-
Daily Sun checks showed that about 120 kilometers out of 148klm have been completely asphalted and opened to motorists even as work is on-going on the remaining portions of the road.
Hailing Ayade for the intervention, some community leaders and moyotists said their socio- economic situation has immensely improved following the construction of the road.
A community leader, Mr Emmanuel Amuchi, 63, noted that the road has added value to farm produce as movement of the produce from the farms to the markets is now very easy.
Amuchi, a farmer, said: “We are very excited and happy about this road construction here and we thank God for giving us a Governor like Ayade, who listened to the cries of the common man and gave us this road.
“Before now we found it very difficult to move our goods from the farms to the markets, but now we do so with relative ease.”
Another community leader from Bekwarra, Chief Augustibe Ogbang, 57, said the road project has really brought succour to the rural populace as life is gradually returning to benefiting communities.
Ogbang maintained that for the first time the people are enjoying the dividends of democracy after done decades.
Describing as the road project as most ambitious ever undertaken by any state government given its length, an Okadigbo rider, Ogar Simon, an Okada rider, said:”We doubted the initial intentions of the governor for the road. We were among those that termed the road “Ayade dust”. But right now we know better because the governor has delivered road, he has fulfilled his promise.
“He has brought a lot of smiles to our faces, we no longer have to buy tyres every now and then due to bad roads.
I, therefore, apologise to our dear Governor for doubting his noble intentions for this road. He has done very well.”
For Nyaya Sunday Andor, a bus driver, he said the old Ogoja peopke have been patient in the midst of deprivation, adding that they are enjoying the result of that patience.
According to him, he was pessimistic that the road would become another abandoned project, but commend the state government for the massive construction work.
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