Minister Seeks More Budgetary Allocation For East West Road Project

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani has said that he was working in collaboration with the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma to ensure more budgetary allocation for the East-West Road project.

Usani stated this at a meeting with the Managing Director of Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Nigeria Limited, Mr. Moussa Nakhla in Abuja, on Thursday.

Bothered about the deplorable state of the 15 kilometre Eleme to Onne Port Junction section of the East-West Road, the Pastor Usani appealed to the Management of Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Nigeria Limited for quick intervention to fix the bad parts of the road.

The Minister said the call was necessitated by the reports he was getting on the deplorable condition of the road. He added that the intervention was to cushion the suffering of road users.

“I was in Rivers State last week and the people were anxious about the condition of the road.  The Managing Director of NDDC has promised a quick intervention on the said road.”  The Minister reiterated.

Pastor Usani sought to know what RCC would be able to do as a matter of urgency because that section of the East-West road has been receiving public outcry for some time now. 

Mr. Moussa Nakhla expressed the willingness of his company to start work on that part of the road if it was captured in the 2017 budget of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

Mr. Moussa said it was a waste of time and money to do a temporary work on a road that will spoil in no distant time.  He called for more budgetary allocation from the Federal Government and prompt releases of funds to aid the completion of the East -West Road which has begun since the inception of the Ministry in 1999.

To fast track quick intervention to fix the failing portions of the said road, the Minister disclosed that a tripartite meeting of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Nigeria Limited would be held soon.

Also in attendance at the meeting were the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Prof. Claudius Omoleye Daramola, the Director overseeing the office of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Moses Okpo and other Management staff.

Signed 

Marshall Gundu