Senate President Akpabio Reveals Reasons For East-West Road Neglect _ The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has revealed that the East-West road would have been completed during his tenure as Minister of Niger Delta. Akpabio explained that stakeholders halted construction by meeting with former President Muhammadu Buhari and requesting that the Ministry of Niger Delta stop work on the project…….....READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
Speaking at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Stakeholders Summit in Port Harcourt on Friday, Akpabio mentioned that the Ministry of Niger Delta had secured a ₦75 billion loan from Sukuk to finish the East-West road. However, stakeholders from Ogoni met with Buhari and insisted that the project be transferred to the Ministry of Works, led by Babatunde Fashola.
Akpabio expressed his surprise at the decision, noting that the Ministry of Works had no budget for the East-West road project. He stated that when he assumed office, the road was only 8 percent complete and he was committed to finishing it until the project was transferred to the Ministry of Works by Buhari’s order.
In his speech, Akpabio said, “The East-West road would have been finished under my tenure as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, but some stakeholders from Ogoni met with then President Buhari and requested that the project be transferred to the Ministry of Works, led by Fashola. I was very shocked.
“We had secured about ₦75 billion from Sukuk for the project. Despite this, the road was transferred to the Ministry of Works, which had no budget for it that year. The ₦75 billion we secured was not utilized. Since the Ministry of Niger Delta left the project, nothing has been done. We had progressed the road to 8 percent completion.”
The Senate President’s remarks followed an appeal by Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, for President Bola Tinubu to prioritize other critical roads, like the East-West road, in addition to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway….READ FULL ARTICLE
