The federal government has assured the contractor handling the Itu-Odukpani road construction and rehabilitation project, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, of a new funding strategy by the government for the contract to ensure that the works do not get bogged down any longer due to financing constraints.
The assurance was given by the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN, during the Minister’s monitoring visit to the project site to officially inspect the extent of the ongoing works on the project last Thursday 13 February, 2020.
The Minister said, going forward from his visit to the project, the Ministry has made an application for the Itu-Odukpani road works to henceforth be funded from the Sukuk funds steady infrastructural development works.
This piece of information excited the community people and the Permanent Secretary of the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Works, Engr. John Itiat who was also on hand to receive the Minister at the project site.
Engr. Itiat, who also spoke at the event, thanked Fashola for the good news that the project would henceforth be funded by the Sukuk funds without any further financing hitches occasioning operational delays.
Fashola commended the commitment of the contractor, Julius Berger, to deliver on the Itu-Odukpani road construction and rehabilitation contract irrespective of challenges.
The Minister pointed out to stakeholders present to the real, visible and serious engineering works already done by the contractor on the road prior to unavoidable stoppage of work.
The Honourable Minister of Works, to the delight of stakeholders present at the event, maintained that there was no going back on the new funding strategy and successful completion of the Itu-Odukpani road, which he described as “a strategically important road” in the country.
Fashola then urged the contractor to, in the interim, work and remedy the very bad portions of the road to make it motorable during the rainy season. “The Buhari administration will deliver the high priority Itu-Odukpani-Calabar road”, Fashola assured.
The Julius Berger Regional Manager South-east and South-south operations, Engr. Jurgen Fischer, expressed the company’s appreciation to the government and the Minister’s heart-warming information that the project will now be funded to completion from the Sukuk funds. Fischer assured the Honourable Minister of Julius Berger’s ready and unflinching commitment to, as always, deliver on its contractual obligations,
It would be recalled that during an inspection visit to the project last year, the Director, Federal Highways, Engr. Godwin Eke had said that the Itu-Odukpani-Calabar road was intended by the Federal government to give its adjoining communities and the country at large better access to greater participation in economic activities.
