Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for commencing the reconstruction of considerable 15.4-kilometre failed portion of Benin-Sapele Expressway, describing the intervention as a major boost to connectivity, economic activities and the wellbeing of residents in the state and motorists.
Oborevwori gave the commendation on Friday at the flag-off of the reconstruction project at Amukpe Roundabout, Sapele, Delta State.
The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, said the intervention underscored the importance of collaboration among governments and agencies in tackling infrastructure challenges across the Niger Delta.
Aniagwu said the state government had also intervened in several federal road corridors in Delta State because the ultimate beneficiaries were Deltans, irrespective of whether such roads fell under federal or state jurisdiction.
According to him, the state government had constructed more than five kilometres of rigid-pavement dual carriageway along the Warri axis, while bridges and flyovers had also been constructed along federal road corridors, including at Otovwodo Junction, DSC Roundabout, PTI Junction and Enerhen Roundabout and Uromi Junction, Agbor.
“We don't differentiate,” Aniagwu said, stressing that the state government had spent over N300 billion on federal corridors to make them motorable and reduce the hardship faced by road users.
He described the NDDC intervention on the Benin-Sapele corridor as a welcome development, saying that when completed, it would ease transportation and contribute to the economic growth of Delta State and indeed other states on the East West corridor.
The commissioner appealed to residents and other stakeholders to cooperate with the contractors to ensure timely completion of the project.
Aniagwu also urged residents to desist from vandalising critical infrastructure, citing the recent discovery of damaged components on the First Niger Bridge.
He warned that the removal of components from the First Niger Bridge could compromise its structural integrity and endanger road users.
Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, said the commission commenced the reconstruction following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's directive to address the hardship being experienced by motorists and other road users along the corridor.
Ebie said the commission was determined to complete the project and bring relief to commuters who had endured prolonged delays and difficult travelling conditions on the road.
He assured residents that two contractors would be deployed to work from opposite ends of the project to accelerate completion.
According to him, the Benin-Sapele Expressway is not merely a regional road but a critical national economic corridor linking the South-South with other parts of the country.
He disclosed that the NDDC had also taken steps to terminate and re-award the contract for the Abraka-Obiaruku-Abavo-Agbor Road following challenges encountered by the previous contractor.
NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, apologised to residents, community leaders and commuters for the hardship caused by the deplorable condition of the road, assuring them that relief was on the way.
Ogbuku said the intervention followed a directive from President Tinubu after the President saw videos and received complaints about the condition of the road.
He said the NDDC had engaged the Federal Ministry of Works, obtained the project design and secured approval for the site to be handed over to the commission for immediate intervention.
The NDDC boss said the road's strategic importance made its reconstruction imperative, noting that it was a major federal route linking the South-West and North to the South-South.
Giving details of the project, the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Engr. Victor Antai, said the reconstruction covered approximately 15.4 kilometres and would be executed with rigid concrete pavement.
Antai said China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Ronin and Fan Limited had been engaged to execute the project.
Earlier, the Delta State representative on the NDDC Governing Board, Hon. Monday Igbuya, commended the commission for approving the reconstruction of the highway.
Igbuya appealed to the NDDC to extend its intervention to the Amukpe-Abraka-Agbor Road and the Sapele-Warri Road to further improve connectivity across Delta State.
In their goodwill messages, Senator Ede Dafinone and Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu commended President Tinubu and the NDDC for the intervention.
