Governor Francis Nwifuru has urged for the timely completion of the federal road projects connecting Ebonyi and other states in the Southeastern region of Nigeria.
Nwifuru made the request after the
Minister of Works, Senator David Nweze Umahi unveiled the proposed 477km Cross River, Southeast, North Central, Apo (Abuja) Superhighway by President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Speaking during the stakeholders' engagement on Wednesday at the new Government House, Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, Nwifuru described the road legacy project of President Tinubu as a signature project.
He prayed for the timely completion of the road which also has a spur of Lagos - Port Harcourt crossing Enugu State and passing through Abakaliki/Ogoja Highway, the African Tran-Sahara Trade route to boost economy of the nation.
"We have listened to your feedback and concerns regarding the inclusion of Ebonyi State in the 477km road which traverses Cross River-Southeast-North Central-APO-Abuja Superhighway, a spur of Lagos-Port Harcourt crossing Enugu State and passing through our dear Abakaliki, then to Ogoja, in northern Cross River State.
"It is indeed a huge signature project, we pray God it comes to timely completion, foster collaboration and partnerships by identifying opportunities for innovation and investment in the project, given its associated socioeconomic potentialities.
"Our people are predominantly agrarians and this wonderful initiative, we are going to benefit from will further assist our rural farmers to evacuate their farm produce to viable markets.
“This engagement this afternoon, I repeat, is predicated on our belief that effective infrastructure development requires a collective effort from government, private sector, and civil society.
"This administration is committed to creating an enabling environment for investment and ensuring that our infrastructure meets the needs of the citizens.
“Once again, I thank Mr President for this wonderful show of love not only to Ebonyi State but to the entire Ndigbo. We are indeed very grateful for a number of federal projects being executed in our dear State which are in tandem with our resolve to make life easier for the people," Nwifuru stated.
Earlier, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi said Ebonyi State would benefit 101km from the Tinubu's 477km road legacy project of 6 lanes span.
Umahi said, out of the 477km road project, that Cross River would benefit 92km, Benue - 66km, Kogi - 111km, Nasarawa 95km and Abuja - 12km.
He noted that about 750km of the federal road projects would transverse Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
He added that work has started at about 1,068km road project transversing Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states.
He commended President Bola Tinubu and Governor Francis Nwifuru for their determination to distinguish their administrations with bold infrastructure and human developmental projects, saying the duo qualified to be returned in 2027 for the second term in office.
The Minister who was the immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State further urged Ebonyians and the entire people of the South East region in the country to support the legacy project, pleading with them to shun any attempt of staging protest against Tinubu’s administration.
Umahi equally pleaded with the South East stakeholders to shun anything capable of stopping all the approved roads in their region regardless their political affiliation and party interest.
He said that Tinubu has the interest of Igbo people at heart and urged them not do anything that would disrupt the road infrastructural agenda in Ebonyi State and other parts of the southeastern region of the country.
“I want to advise South East youths to stop any involvement of any protest against Tinubu’s administration because the Nigerian president has the interest of Igbos at heart.
“There is no reason to stage a protest against Tinubu because he has done well for us. I mean the Igbos even in Ebonyi State. Therefore, I want to thank Mr President for the massive road projects he has approved in South East Nigeria.
"Tinubu is the most accessible president that I have ever seen in my life, and we are not taking your relationship with Igbo for granted," the Minister said.
He noted that the African Tran-Saharan highway, when completed, would boost the economy of the South East region and the country in general, describing it as economically agricultural viable routes.
Umahi further described the project as Tinubu’s legacy project and urged the people of the South East and the country at large to support it to ease the perennial problems encountered by farmers in the evacuation of agricultural produce.
“It’s an economically agricultural viable route that will enable Ebonyi State to now bring a lot of their farm produce such as rice, yam, garri among others within this economic corridor.
“There are a lot of rice production here, potatoes and yams but we have no road to transport them. So, these are going to help us to bring out our agricultural produce to support Mr President policy on food sufficiency. So, it’s an agricultural economic corridor
“Let me on behalf of Mr. President unveil the three legacy projects of Mr. President. Let me emphasize that these legacy projects are not just mere projects," Umahi hinted.
