Imo State government has unfolded plans to kick off the second phase of 100km road construction across the 27 local government areas of the state.
The commissioner for works, Ralph Nwosu, said each of the councils would get 5km road from the projects while efforts would be intensified to tackle ecological disasters in flood prone areas adjacent the roads to save houses from being submerged whenever it rains.
Nwosu who disclosed this to newsmen in his office said the state government had already completed a total of 64 roads measuring 153.64klm.
He said that while 43 road projects measuring 357.40km are on-going, the Ihagwa/Nekede road would soon be completed along with the bridge being constructed there.
Reacting to questions from newsmen, the commissioner said that the defunct Imo Rural Roads Maintenance Agency (IRROMA) would soon be brought back to add impetus to government’s rural roads revolution and to also stem the tide of flooding arising from downpours in some villages and communities.
Nwosu who is the deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state decried the performance of both the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and the Federal Ministry of Works in the state, saying that it was as a result of this that the state government took the bull by the horns to handle the construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of some Federal roads in the state to alleviate the transportation difficulties of the people.
He said, “Honestly, FERMA and the Federal Ministry of Works have not been fair to us in this state otherwise we will not be at a place like Mgbidi, where I come from working on Federal roads.”
Nwosu justified government’s decision to dredge the Orashi River to the sea, saying that it would not only create jobs for the youths, but also check insecurity with the presence of a Naval Base there and linking the state to the international community, adding that it would be executed through Private Public Partnership (PPP).
He said while many companies had indicated interest to partner with the state government in the execution of the project, a number of individuals had also shown interest for the same reason.
He acknowledged the growing traffic congestion within the Owerri capital city, the blocking of gutters and drainages with refuse by some misguided elements and assured that flyovers would be constructed at strategic places in Owerri.
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