East- West Road: Ministry Misses 2014 Deadline, Needs Additional N100bn — March 25, 2014 The supervising minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Arc. Darius Ishaku said yesterday that the East-West road project would now be completed by 2015, a year later than originally predicted. The supervising minister who made the disclosure at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja, explained that though the dualisation project inherited by the Niger Delta Ministry in 2009 has received a major boost of N94billion between 2012-2014 from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) as well as accessed $150million out of the $300million loan requested from the African Development Bank (AFDB), a whooping N100million is still to be injected for adequate result. He explained that while the project required the total sum of N350billion for its completion , a total of N250billion has so far been disbursed while the ministry still has an outstanding requirement of N100billion to take it to a logical conclusion. Arc. Darius expressed optimism that the ministry will commence commissioning of its housing and skills acquisition projects by April 2014, particularly the one located in Otuoke , Bayelsa State. He added that the projects located in Ikot Nakanda, Akpabuyo, in Cross River State may be terminated following the contractor’s unseriousness. The minister who stated that the flagship project has attained 70 percent completion as against the 10 percent inherited from the ministry of works in 2006, reeled out the achievement of the ministry on the various sections of the East-West Road to include the following: section 1- Warri- Kiama 87.4km- handled by Setraco Nig limited 79 percent, Port- Harcourt –Ahoda 101km; sectraco- 42 percent, section Ahoda-Eket 99km 85 percent and Eket –Oron 51km 68 percent. According to him, the 40 housing replicated in the nine states of the Niger Delta have reached the following levels of completion; Abia-79.8 percent, Akwa Ibom- 60.9 percent, Bayelsa- 66.5 percent, Cross River- 67.5 percent, Delta-84.0 percent, Edo 83.5 percent, Imo86.8 percent, ondo- 65.0 percent while Rivers have attained only 43.8 percent. While commending his predecessor, Elder Godsday Orubebe over the over 70 percent completion of the total level of completion on housing in the region, minister told newsmen that the ministry has also attained well over 58.1 percent completion of the 9 skill Acquisition Centers replicated in the nine states. He further explained that the ministry has developed a curriculum to provide vocational training in specific fields and is awaiting National Board for Technical Education Approval. On empowerment and Training, he said, the minister has trained 701 of non-militant youths in Agriculture business within and outside the nation, while several others have been trained in ICT, Marine welding among others. He disclosed that the ministry proposed 7 cassava processing plants that will boost food availability in the country is almost at the verge of completion.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 09:18:57 +0000
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