PROPERTY NEWS

Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Martin N. Elechi, has commended the Federal Government for awarding the contract for the Abakaliki-Mbok (Ogoja Junction) Road as part of the recently awarded Bamenda (Cameroun) to Mamfe-Abakaliki-Enugu Multinational Highway programme.

He gave the commendation last week in Abuja during a visit to the Minister of Works, Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Hassan Muhammad Lawal.

He said, "I want to put it on record that we the governors and people of the South East geopolitical zone are particularly happy this time around for the number of roads the Federal Government is tackling simultaneously in the zone, because the bane of our geopolitical area has been essentially that of bad roads. But we believe that when the contracts are efficiently executed, the Federal Government, through you in particular, shall have put smiles on the faces of the people of the South East geopolitical zone. We will continue to express our appreciation for that singular gesture. We thank you, and pray God that what you have started so well will end successfully."

He stated that the execution of the road project would bring a lot of relief to the people of Ebonyi, Enugu and Cross River states in particular, and the entire zone in general. He appealed to the Federal Government to permit the state to effect the dualisation of the township section of the road with a view to getting reimbursed subsequently.

Responding to the address of the governor, Lawal thanked him for commending the president for the number of projects being executed in the South East geopolitical part of Nigeria. He recalled that the average easterner had commerce and trade as his or her main stay.

He said, "There is no way you can have successful trade or commerce without mobility, without good roads. In short, without a good network of roads that are not only safe but are also smooth, that are motorable, the situation can easily lead to insecurity in that area, and indeed, in the entire country. One of the means of tackling insecurity is the provision of good roads. The Federal Government is committed to ensuring availability of good and motorable roads, not only in the South East zone, but in the entire nation. However, funding is a major constraint.

"Mr. President is desirous of dualising virtually every road in this country. But, there are competing demands on the nation's treasury from other sectors, such as education, health, agriculture and various other sectors. I am saying this because I must really appeal to Nigerians to appreciate the constraints on the part of the Federal Government."