East-West Road Gulps N80bn – SURE-P…To Be Completed May 2015

The East-West Road project that has so far gulped the sum of N80 billion would be completed before May 29, 2015.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), General Martin Luther Agwai, during a press briefing on the East-West Roads Niger Delta project held in Port Harcourt Monday.
Agwai said the project is 82 per cent completed and blamed the delay on its earlier completion date to community problems, inadequate funding prior to SURE-P intervention, delay in market relocations, poor soil condition, cost escalation, among others.
He assured that all things being equal, “The Projects which commenced variously from 2006 are expected to be substantially completed by December 31, 2014 and final hand over by the middle of 2015,” adding that due to the importance of the roads and volume of traffic the route generates, the Federal Government had decided to upgrade the existing single carriage way of the East-West Road to a two-lane dual carriageway.
According to him, the project was 47 per cent completed when SURE-P intervened and reiterated the justification of the project due to its access to oil and gas facilities and seaport at Onne, to connect the various state capitals in the Niger Delta region and Federal Government’s response to agitation for adequate development in the South-South.
Agwai, who embarked on a two-day inspection of the projects gave a breakdown of the progress of work and monetary involvement since the inception by SURE-P in 2012, disclosing that the 87km Warri-Kaiama road which connects Effurun/Warri to Ughelli to Patani and to Kaima was 52.21 per cent complete before they took over but is now 91 per cent completed, while the sum of over N20 billion had so far been expended.
He hinted that the Port Harcourt-Ahoada 47km road which traverse Port Harcourt, Eleme Junction to Ahoada is now at 65.12 per cent completion from 23.17 per cent when it intercepted, pointing out that the sum of over N20 billion had also been spent so far.
On the Ahoada-Kaiama 54km road, the Chairman disclosed that work before SURE-P intervened was 18.21 per cent completion but is now at 55 per cent completion with over N20 billion expended, while that of Port Harcourt-Eket Road project, the sum of over N18 billion had been expended with work now at 94 per cent completed from when they took over at 73.44 per cent.
The SURE-P boss also disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had recently awarded a 15km contract to upgrade Port Harcourt-Eleme Junction Flyover to Onne Junction at the sum of over N43 billion.
Agwai further stated that the 51km Eket-Oron Road which lies entirely in Akwa-Ibom State to connect major towns of Eket and Oron had gulped over N7 billion and 81.9 per cent completion from when they took over at 53.55 per cent.
He however assured to render quality services, appealed to communities where the roads traverse to understand and co-operate with the contractors to ensure early completion and pledged not to connive with anybody for selfish interest.

Collins Barasimeye