The Executive Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, at the weekend, inspected various major road and other infrastructural projects executed by his administration preparatory to their inauguration in a matter of weeks.
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Projects he inspected include the 40km Owo-Ubahu-Amankanu-Umualor-Neke-Ikem dual carriageway, 14.5km Amechi Idodo-Oruku-Amagunze Road, the New Enugu Smart City, and the Enugu International Hospital on Rangers Avenue, Enugu.
Mbah, who clocks three years as governor of Enugu State on 29th May, said the projects were part of the enablers being developed by his administration to power the state’s economy from a $4.4bn to a $30bn economy, as well as position the state as the premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and living, as he promised during the campaigns.
Speaking to newsmen during the inspection tour, he said, “We are just 600 metres away from the main road that takes you to Obollo Afor. That simply means that this is a brand new gateway to the North. It means that our people could now travel to the North Central without going through 9th Mile or Opi Nsukka, and in a few hours you are in Abuja.”
Mbah said the 40km infrastructure was not just a mere road, but also represents new economic opportunities.
“It is a major gateway that connects our people to opportunities and connects communities to farmlands. If you look at your left, you will see green, and if you look at your right, you will see green. But for us, what we see are opportunities and wealth because our people can now go into farming. They will no longer worry about evacuating their produce,” he stated.
He expressed satisfaction with the speed of work by the contractors, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), who, he said, were working day and night to deliver the project on schedule.
“We gave the contractors a strict timeline of the end of May to deliver this road. And to do it within the strict time frame, they had to deploy several streams of workforce.
“The second thing they did was to also work day and night to ensure that they deliver on time because we also have the provision for liquidated damages if there is a time overrun.
“We have kept our own part of the bargain by making sure funds are released to them promptly. I am hoping that in the next two or a few weeks, we will come back here to cut the ribbon and open this road for the opportunities to flow for the people of Enugu State and Nigerians,” he added.
Mbah said the administration was equally interested in the quality of work and commended CCCC for the good job done so far.
“We are not just interested in the speed, but also interested in the quality. CCCC is by far one of the 100 biggest construction companies in the world. They have their brand name to protect. So, we are happy with the quality of work they are doing,” he stated.
He said his government would not relent in its rural roads drive, including the ongoing dualization of the 44.1km Enugu – Ugwogo Nike – Opi Nsukka Road from both the Abakpa and Trans-Ekulu ends, to expand economic opportunities for the citizens.
“As you may also be aware, we are doing quite a number of rural roads. We have done the 44.3km from Ama – Eke – Oghe – Iwolo – Olo – Umulokpa. Just recently, we flagged off the construction of a 52.2km road from Lejja to Aku, Ukehe, Akpakume Nze, Egede, Affa, and Eke town. And we are just starting,” he said.
At the already completed Amechi Idodo – Oruku – Amagunze Road, he said the administration would now extend the road to the Nkanu East Council Headquarters.
He equally commended CCCC for the quality of work at the New Enugu Smart City, where the initial 6.5km primary road, a dual carriageway, had been completed, while work is going on at great speed on the secondary and tertiary roads covering the initial 1,000 hectares of the 10,000-hectare smart city.
The Commissioner for Works explained that each carriageway of the primary road measures 7.5m with a 2.5m shoulder, while the median measures 12m. The right of way is 42m.
“What we have here is an integrated infrastructure where all the services – water line, gas line, sewage line, power line, and internet service – are all underground. This first phase will be delivered by 31 December 2026.
“When completed, Enugu would become the first state in Nigeria to develop a new city and also to do integrated infrastructure in the same city,” the Commissioner added.