The hope of the people of the Niger Delta region has finally been rekindled by the Federal Government Inter-Ministerial Committee which was on assessment tour of the East-West road project on Thursday, saying the Federal Government was prioritising its early completion.
The Federal Government inter-ministerial committee is made up of the Ministries of Niger Delta Affairs, Transportation, Power, Works and Housing and Information and Culture.
Speaking at the end of the Thursday’s tour, the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani disclosed: “The Federal Executive Council gives priority to the East-West road project, this led to the setting up of this Inter-Ministerial Committee to come and do its assessment, for government to source for funds for timely completion of the project.”
Usani expressed satisfaction on the progress of work, saying it has been more progressive than previous years. He added that contractors only needed more funds to execute the job.
Corroborating the statement of his colleague in Niger Delta Affairs’ Ministry, the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi noted that the tour had changed his perception on the Project that government was doing nothing on it.
“If I did not come on this inpection myself, I would have been among those who are saying that nothing was being done, but we drove all the way from Benin, through the East-West road from Warri to Porth Harcourt, there was no potholes,” Amaechi added.
“It is important that we the South-South people appreciate the contribution of the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, to the development of the Niger Delta region.
The Minister of Transportation appealed to the youths in the Niger Delta region to desist from vices that can impede the development of the oil-rich region and take it backward among other regions.
It would be recalled that the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs inherited the East-West road from the then Federal Ministry works on its establishment in 2008 and had been battling with its completion over the years.
To put to rest this lingering challenge, however, the Federal Executive Council set up a four-man committee comprising the Ministers of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani, Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, to carry out an assessment of the East-West road and come up with suggestions for the early completion of the project.
