Works Minister Explains Delay on East-West Road

 

Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, has given an assurance that the East-West Road would be completed this year, just as he explained the reasons behind the delay in the road project.

The East-West Road is an expressway that cuts across five states in the South-south geo-political zone, namely Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers and is expected to boost the socio-economic condition of the people of the affected states when completed.

Onolememen who disclosed this during an interactive meeting with journalists in Benin City, said unknown to many Nigerians, mobilisation for the project was not paid until 2008 despite the fact that it was awarded in 2006.

The works minister added that the project had reached 85 per cent completion, noting that youth militancy, difficult terrains and extended rainy season hampered the quick completion of the project.

He praised the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan in the transport sector, saying a research carried out by the Department of International Development of the United Kingdom showed that as at 2010, only about 4,000km out of 35,000km of roads owned by the federal government were in motorable condition, but three years after, about 25,000km of roads are now motorable.

According to the minister, the South-south, like other parts of the country, has benefited from President Jonathan’s transformation agenda abundantly.
He listed some of the projects of the federal government in the South-south as the Oil and Gas Polytechnic in Bonny Island, Rivers State; the National Institute of Construction Technology in Uromi, Edo State; the National Maritime University in Okerekenko, Delta State; and the Ibaka Deep Sea Port in Akwa Ibom State.

“In the power sector, Mr. President has completed the NIPP project at Ehor, Edo State, another two in Sapele and Gbaren, Delta State and another one at Omuku in Rivers State,” he stated.

He noted that the good performance of President Jonathan convinced the leadership of the PDP to offer him the right of first refusal to fly the flag of the party in the 2015 presidential election.

On whether he would join the Edo State governorship race in 2016, the minister said his focus was on delivering on his mandate, adding “it will be madness to start talking about governorship (race) when you don’t know what would happen tomorrow.”