DELTA State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over its reconstruction of parts of the 15.4-kilometre failed portion of Benin-Sapele Expressway, describing the intervention as a major boost to connectivity, economic activities and wellbeing of residents and motorists.
Oborevwori, represented by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, gave the commendation on Friday, August 28, at the flag-off of the reconstruction project at Amukpe Roundabout, Sapele, saying the intervention underscored the importance of collaboration among governments and agencies in tackling infrastructure challenges across the Niger Delta.
He said the state government had also intervened in several federal road corridors in Delta because the ultimate beneficiaries were Deltans, irrespective of whether such roads fell under federal or state jurisdiction.
The governor listed such roads to include over five kilometres of rigid-pavement dual carriageway along the Warri axis, while bridges and flyovers had also been constructed along federal road corridors, including at Otovwodo Junction, DSC Roundabout, PTI Junction and Enerhen Roundabout and Uromi Junction, Agbor, to the tune of over N300billion, to make them motorable and reduce the hardship faced by road users.
He described the NDDC intervention as a welcome development, saying when completed, it would ease transportation and contribute to the economic growth of Delta State and indeed other states on the East West corridor.
He appealled to residents and other stakeholders to cooperate with the contractors to ensure timely completion of the project, and residents to desist from vandalising critical infrastructure, citing the recent discovery of damaged components on the First Niger Bridge, which could compromise its structural integrity and endanger road users.
Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Chiedu Ebie, said the Commission commenced the reconstruction following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to ameliorate the hardship being experienced by motorists and other road users along the corridor.
Ebie assured that NDDC was determined to complete the project and bring relief to commuters who had endured prolonged delays and difficult travelling conditions on the road, assuring residents that two contractors would be deployed to work from opposite ends of the project to accelerate completion.
He said the Benin-Sapele Expressway is not merely a regional road, but a critical national economic corridor linking the South-South with other parts of the country, adding that the Commission had also taken steps to terminate and re-award the contract for the Abraka-Obiaruku-Abavo-Agbor Road, following challenges encountered by the previous contractor.
Managing Director of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, apologised to residents, community leaders and commuters for the hardship caused by the deplorable condition of the road, assuring that relief was on the way.
Ogbuku re-echoed that the intervention followed Tinubu’s directive after seeing videos and receiving complaints about the condition of the road, adding that the interventionist agency had engaged the Federal Ministry of Works, obtained the project design and secured approval for the site to be handed over to it for immediate intervention.
He said the road’s strategic importance made its reconstruction imperative, being a major federal route linking the Southwest and North to the South-South.
Giving details of the project, the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Victor Antai, said the reconstruction covered approximately 15.4 kilometres and would be executed with rigid concrete pavement.
Antai disclosed that China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Ronin and Fan Limited had been engaged to execute the project.
Earlier, Delta State representative on the NDDC Board, Monday Igbuya, commended the Commission for approving the reconstruction of the highway.
Igbuya appealled to the NDDC to extend its intervention to the Amukpe-Abraka-Agbor Road and the Sapele-Warri Road to further improve connectivity across the state.
In their goodwill messages, Senator Ede Dafinone and a member of the House of Representatives, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, commended Tinubu and NDDC for the intervention.
