The former Governor of Abia State and the Publisher of The Sun and New
\nTelegraph titles, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu has commended the government of
\nRivers State for taking a sturdier measure on the Enugu-Port Harcourt
\nexpressways.<\/p>\n
Kalu said this in a statement issued by his media centre in Abuja and
\nsigned by Mrs. Rubby Obinna.<\/p>\n
The business crowd-puller said that Governor Nyesom Wike was well-built in
\nhis foresight to go for the rescue of motorists on the two dangerous spots
\nthat had kept movement of vehicular stalled for months now if not years,
\nwhich were between Oyigbo and Imo Bridge area of the state.<\/p>\n
Kalu called for the total review of the roads, saying that it\u2019s not only
\nthe spots that Wike in his wisdom has gone to treat after embarking on a
\ncourtesy visit to the Oyigbo LGA of the state that were bad. Kalu said
\nthat there were areas on the expressways that should be scrapped for total
\nreconstruction, not rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
He said that at this time that Nigerians are yearning for total
\noverhauling of the system, it would be out of place to trade blames
\nconcerning the government that had worked on the road or the supposedly
\none that did not do work on the road.<\/p>\n
Hear Kalu, \u201cThe Enugu-Express ways have kept motorists and travellers
\ncrying. The people of the South East and South South are most hit by the
\nperilous nature of the roads. I\u2019m appealing to the authorities concerned
\nto review the work processes of the roads and come out with a lasting
\nmaster plan that would help in solving the crises that the roads built
\nover 70 and 30yrs ago respectively are causing to users.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kalu lamented that transportation cost always increase along that
\nexpressways due to their deplorable condition. He added that what the
\npeople need was not a temporary assuage of their suffering which they
\nmight come to experience soon or later due to seemingly out-of-quality
\nmaterials that most contractors that were awarded road contracts use.<\/p>\n
The former governor wondered why the roads built over 30 yrs ago were very
\nstrong compared to the rehabilitations done on some of the damaged spots
\ntoday that spoiled as soon as the awardees pulled equipments out of the
\nsite.<\/p>\n
Kalu wept that the expressways need fast attention due to lives that were
\nlost on them due to road crashes. He said that it was inundated that
\nseveral trucks carrying goods worth millions of naira had capsized on
\nthese roads, causing conundrum on the economic activities of businessmen
\nand women in and outside the country.<\/p>\n
The business mogul highlighted the importance of the Enugu-Port Harcourt
\nExpressways to the economy of the country.\u00a0 Quoting a former minister of
\nworks, Kalu said, \u201cThe Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriage way is an
\nimportant North-South arterial highway route connecting so many important
\ncities in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kalu noted that some parts of the highways were constructed over 70 years
\nago. He atoned that while rehabilitating the roads may be good, total
\nreconstruction is always better.\u00a0 He said that he expressed delight when
\nthe news was everywhere in the past that there was progress of work on
\nsection one and three of the expressways, which were from Lokpanta to Aba,
\nand from Enugu to Lopkanta awarded in 2013.<\/p>\n
He wondered why users are still facing hardship in major areas of the
\nhighway.<\/p>\n
The former governor said that it was everywhere that the past
\nadministration in March this year flagged the second section of the
\nEnugu-Port Harcourt expressways, (which were from Aba Rail\/ Road Bridge
\ncrossing to Eleme Junction in Port Harcourt) and awarded same to the China
\nCivil Engineering Construction Corporation at the cost of N34, 047, 096,
\n919.17 with a completion period of 30 months; he lamented that urgent
\nattention should be paid to the 41.4 kilometer road in order to alleviate
\nthe suffering of users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The former Governor of Abia State and the Publisher of The Sun and New Telegraph titles, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu has commended the government of Rivers State for taking a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n