The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Works to take immediate steps to commence the construction of the East-West Road section linking Oron in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar in Cross River State.
The House said the project would promote economic activities and improve the movement of people, goods and services between the two states.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Mark Esin (APC, Akwa Ibom) during Thursday’s plenary.
ALSO READ: Wike disowns report linking him to Adamawa LP guber candidate
The lawmakers urged the Ministry of Works to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Finance to include the construction of Section V, Phase I of the East-West Road, covering the Oron-Calabar corridor, in the 2027 budget estimates.
Presenting the motion, Esin said the East-West Road was a major federal highway designed to connect communities and economic centres across the Niger Delta region and facilitate the movement of people, goods and services.
He recalled that the Federal Executive Council, under former President Goodluck Jonathan, approved the award of the contract for the construction of Section V, Phase I, from Oron in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar in Cross River State on October 22, 2014, at a contract sum of N165.3 billion.
He added that on December 3, 2014, the council approved an additional N661.33 million for engineering supervision of the road section.
According to Esin, the Oron-Calabar corridor was conceived as the final stretch required to complete the East-West Road and strengthen connectivity across the Niger Delta region.
He noted that despite the Federal Government’s approval of the contract more than a decade ago, the section remained uncompleted, leaving a critical transport link between Akwa Ibom and Cross River unrealised.
The lawmaker said the failure to implement the project had continued to constrain the movement of people and goods between the two states, limiting the expected economic and developmental benefits of the East-West Road.
He maintained that the Federal Executive Council’s approvals of October 22 and December 3, 2014, provided the basis for taking the necessary steps towards constructing the road.
The motion received unanimous support when it was put to a voice vote by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, who presided over the plenary.
The House subsequently referred the matter to the relevant committees for further legislative action.
WATCH TOP VIDEOS FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE TV