AKSG Directs Review Of Road Projects In Eket

By Bassey Nkponam
EKET
The Akwa Ibom government has directed a review of the Afia Nsit gully reclamation project in Eket Local Government Area, alongside the IduaRoad extension and bridge construction project to link Nsit Ubium Local Government Area of the State.
The State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, who gave the directive Friday, during the inauguration of the 3.3kmIduaRoad and emergency intervention works at the collapsed Afia Nsit Road in Eket Local Government Area, said a review of the Afia Nsit gully reclamation project would ensure that the outfall drains empty into a river.
Eno said the gully reclamation cannot be terminated in its current location, to avert future problem, but that it would continually be taken to a river to be able to have a project that would last for a long time.
He also approved the construction of a bridge to connect Ikot Ekpene Udo in Nsit Ubium Local Government Area to Eket through the south-end of IduaRoad, alongside its extension at the north-end to join the Udom Emmanuel Boulevard, as well as an intervention on the collapsed portion of Grace Bill Road in Eket.
  Eno noted the importance of the two projects in connecting different parts of Eket and neighbouring local government areas, and reassured of the commitment of his administration to completing projects initiated by the immediate past administration.
The governor thanked the people of Eket for supporting his emergence as governor and for cooperating with contractors to ensure successful execution of government projects in the area, recalling his promise to continue with projects by the immediate past administration, saying, “Some of these projects were at various stages of completion, but today we are taking it to a logical conclusion to exit these projects.”
Eno took time to enlighten Akwa Ibom youths on the importance of self-development, and reassured them of his administration’s commitment to supporting value-adding development programmes for youths, such as the Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme (EAP), which he noted, has recently graduated the first batch of 800 trainees with N500,000 start up grant.
The governor, who frowned at the level of attention given to youth development by the Ministry of Youths and Sports, stressed the need to unbundle the Ministry by creating a designated Ministry for Youth Development.
He pledged the resolve of his administration to continue to ensure safe and investment-friendly environment in the state for businesses to thrive, while doing due diligence to the general well-being of the citizens, and requested a full brief of the defunct Qua River Hotel in Eket, to enable government take the right decision.
The commissioner for works and fire service, Professor Eno Ibanga, in his overview of the projects,said the Afia Nsit Road gully reclamation has a 3-meter double cell culvert, with 200meter  road totally restored across the area to reconnect the road, thereby reconnecting the two sections of Eket, while the work on IduaRoad has treated the root problem of excessive volumes of water that caused incessant collapse of the road.
In their separate remarks at the event, the Transition Committee chairman for Eket, Mr Akaninyene Tommy, paramount ruler of Eket, HRM, Edidem E. C. D. Abia, Ambassador Assam Assam SAN, Senator Helen Esuene, and the president of Eket People’s Union, Dr Samuel Udonsak, expressed appreciation to the governor for the intervention projects and reaffirmed their support for him.