NAN
The Cross River Government says its target is to complete the 300 kilometres of road projects it has embarked upon across the state by 2019.
The state Commissioner for Works, Engr. Dane Osim-Asu, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.
Osim-Asu said the roads were being constructed with a view to linking together more communities and promoting economic activities in the state.
“The Ministry of Works has undertaken 300 kilometres of road construction targeted to be completed within the first tenure of Gov. Ben Ayade.
“There is no project that we are carrying over to the next administration.
“The project that will transcend into the next administration is the 274 kilometre super highway and the Bakassi deep sea port.
“We have completed over 150 kilometres of roads in three years. I can assure Cross rive people that by 2019, we will hit the target of 300 kilometres of roads across the state.
“We have other projects including the Arthur Jarvis University road in Akpabuyo Local Government Area (LGA) and the Ikot Effangha road in Akamkpa LGA.
“There are also the Akpet Central road leading to Ogbe in Biase and the Ovukwa Junction road in Obubra Local Government Area, among others.
“All these roads have reached an appreciable stage because the priming, stone base and asphalting have equally been done,’’ he said.
He listed the completed roads ready for inauguration as the Usung-Usuk road in Odukpani LGA, Prof. Ben Ayade Boulevard in Ugep urban and the state Housing Estate road, Ishibori, Ogoja LGA.
Osim-Asu said that the state government was determined to ensure that all local government areas in the state benefitted from rural road construction.
He told NAN that the road in Boki LGA which linked Boki East and West, giving communities in Boki East access to the local government headquarters in Boje, was 90 per cent completed.
According to him, in spite of the limited revenue accruing to the state from the Federation Account, the infrastructure was provided to give the people a sense of belonging.
On local content, he said that the ministry had engaged indigenous companies in over 70 per cent of the jobs.
The commissioner said that the ministry had also used direct in executing projects due to its limited resources.
Osi-Asu said that slow response of some contractors to government’s call to maintain steady presence at their project sites was a big challenge to progress of work in the ministry.