Gov Eno Okays ₦123.5bn For Road Works, Compensation

With the approval by the State Executive Council (SEC) for new road projects and the continuation of ongoing ones, the Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has directed the release of the sum of ₦123.5 billion.

The commissioner for information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, who confirmed this at the weekend in Uyo, the State capital, stated that cash “is for the payment of mobilisation fees, right-of-way compensation, and the settlement of due Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) to contractors handling various road projects in the state.

He disclosed that the projects cover over 167 kilometres of roads, including the Ikwe–Odio Road; the six-lane dualisation of Nnung Udoe–Afaha Offiong–Afaha Nsit with a rotary intersection.

Others included the dualisation of Afaha Offiong–Ikot Imoh–Itreto; and the reconstruction of the Ikot Akpaden–Okorete–Iko Road with two mini bridges in Mkpat Enin and Eastern Obolo Local Government Areas, among others.

A breakdown of the disbursement, according to Umanah, shows that ₦69 billion is earmarked for newly awarded projects, while ₦54.5 billion has been released to service outstanding IPCs and additional works on existing projects.

“The essence of this payment is to encourage contractors handling the various projects to take full advantage of the construction season and deploy all necessary resources to ensure the timely completion of the projects within the agreed timeframe.

“It further underscores the Governor Umo Eno”s commitment bro delivering on the infrastructure expansion mantra of the ARISE Agenda,” he stressed.