… abandoned Adiabo-Ikoneto bridge receives attention
By Onwa Ekor, Calabar
The Cross River Executive Council presided over by the Governor, Prince Bassey Otu, has granted approvals for development initiatives, including infrastructural interventions and construction of some key roads in the three senatorial districts of the state.
In his opening remarks, the governor noted that the public opinion about the performance of his administration was clearly positive, but commissioners and other members of the state executive council should re-double their efforts to ensure sustainable benefits to the people.
The state’s Commissioner for Works, Pius Ankpo, who briefed journalists after the monthly state executive council meeting in Calabar, spoke on the approval given for intervention and construction of some key roads across the three senatorial districts.
Ankpo disclosed that the approved memo, tagged: “Aggregate Infrastructural Interest,” would bring significant development across the three senatorial districts of the state.
In the northern part of the state, the works commissioner revealed that Ogoja and Yala local government areas would receive repairs to their network of roads, including the Ukelle road, Akreha bridge, and the Yache-Alifokpa road.
In the central senatorial district, Yakurr and Ikom LGAs have been earmarked for massive road interventions.
The works commissioner informed that approval was also given for the construction of Adiabo-Ikoneto bridge, which was initiated during the military era in the 90s, but abandoned by successive federal governments.
Ankpo noted that the bridge, when completed, would serve as a better alternative to the Calabar-Odukpani Junction-Itu federal highway, as an easier route into and out from Calabar to Akwa Ibom.
The works commissioner said: “I want to thank Governor Otu and other members of the state executive council for their support and approval to the projects, which are for the good of the people of the state.”
Ankpo also assured Cross Riverians that the projects would be handled with utmost compliance to professionalism and quality assurance, and completed within the stipulated timeframe.
He equally disclosed that the state executive council granted approval for Cross River government to pay compensation for right of way, for the ongoing construction work along Ikot-Nyong to Itu bridge federal highway.
The works commissioner pointed out that payment of compensation had been one of the major issues that hindered the pace of work in the project.
According to him, those who hurried to erect various structures, in order to make claims, should not expect anything, while declaring that whatever compensation to be paid would be made to those with ancestral structures, and what would be paid would be a fraction, and the balance would be the contribution of the landlord communities and owners to the road development.
The state executive council also granted approval for the provision of street and traffic lights in urban areas in the Central/Northern senatorial districts, particularly Ugep, Ikom and Ogoja.
Another important consideration in the fourth exco meeting of the year was a memo for the establishment and empowerment of 2000 persons in catfish farming behind homes in Cross River.
The memo, brought by Cross River Commissioner for Livestock and Aquaculture, was accepted and referred to the State Economic Management Team, in order to evaluate to ensure sustainability of the program.
