The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr.
Nsima Ekere, has assured that the emergency repairs on failed portions of
the East West Road, between Eleme Junction and Onne Junction in Rivers
State will be completed within three weeks.
Mr. Ekere gave the assurance while inspecting work on the road yesterday.
He was accompanied by the Executive Director Projects, Engr. Samuel
Adjogbe, and other directors of the Commission.
The NDDC Chief Executive stressed the importance of the road, describing
it as the gateway to economic activities in the Niger Delta region. He
declared: “This road means a whole lot to the people of the Niger Delta.”
Mr Ekere assured that NDDC would ensure that the project was properly
supervised to guarantee quality, adding: “So far, the quality of work here
is impressive. I am not an engineer, but even as a lay man, the fact that
you have to excavate as much as 2.5 metres in some areas to remove
unsuitable materials before sand filling, speaks a lot about the work.”
He commended the contractor for mobilization to the site promptly and
challenged other Nigerian contractors to work more for quality rather than
profit. “It is not as if the type of engineering we study in Nigeria is
different from what is obtainable in any other part of the world. It is
just a question of our attitude to work,” he declared.
Mr Ekere stated further: “For us in NDDC, we are interested in quality. We
want to shame our critics and we want to ensure that we deliver for the
common good of the people of the Niger Delta. We are committed to
delivering quality roads and other infrastructure that meet international
best practices and standards.”
The NDDC boss said that the objective of the Commission was to ameliorate
the sufferings of motorists who ply the road, as well as improve the
living conditions of the people of the region and urged the contractor to
speed up work on the repairs.
Briefing the NDDC boss on the emergency repairs, the Project Manager,
Engr. Efe Eloho, said that they faced a challenge with the soil texture,
but promised that the repairs would stand the test of time. He noted: “We
excavate as much as 2.5 metres in some areas to remove unsuitable
materials before filling with sharp sand and hard core.”
Engr. Eloho said that although the road was a major route for fuel
tankers, he could guarantee that it would last for up to 20 years because
of the high quality of work put into it.
Some excited motorists, who met the team at the inspection site at the
Eleme Junction axis, praised the NDDC for the urgent intervention.
Mr. Paul Okoede, who spoke for the road users, said that the highway was
critical to the economic activities of the south-south region, praying
that God should bless President Muhammadu Buhari to encourage him to do
more.