Ebonyi Explains Double Lane Road Project

Ebonyi State government has explained that it decided to construct double lanes on a portion of the Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway after waiting anxiously for years for the federal government to shoulder its responsibility of up-grading the entry point of the state capital.

According to the state government 105 kilometres of the road running from Ubeji headquarters to Umuebonyi in Izzi local government area would be involved so as to give the state capital a facelift and stop the carnage on the Abakaliki approach end of the highway.

The commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr Paul Oham who gave the explanation while speaking with newsmen disclosed that as a deliberate policy of the federal government to the effect that every major road entering or exiting a state capital should be  dualised. He expressed regret that it is yet to be extended to Ebonyi.

Oham said the state government made a lot of representation to the Federal Government on the need to implement the policy to Abakaliki after it attained a state capital status, “but we decided to embark on the construction of double lanes when noting seem to be happening.”

“I know there was a deliberate policy of the federal government some years back in the proceedings of the Annual Conference of ministers of Works in Owerri, Imo State, the decision was reached that every major road entering a state capital or its exit should be dualised. We waited patiently for long and when nothing seemed to be happening we decided to embark on the project to give Abakaliki the kind of aesthetic cook it deserves as a state capital.