Senators lamented the deplorable state of Calabar -Oban-Ekang Road in Cross River State despite budgetary provision rehabilitation.
READ ALSO: As 10th NASS resumes, 10 issues that should top the agenda
The Senate has called for an urgent need to rehabilitate the Calabar-Oban-Ekang Road in Cross River State.
The call was contained in a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) at Wednesday’s plenary.
Leading debate on the motion, Ekpeyong noted that the Calabar-Oban-Ekang Road, which is the major link between the Southern parts of Nigeria through Cross River State to Cameroon, and an important transport corridor and commercial gateway, has been completely cut off.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: 10th Senate increases number of weekly sittings
He also noted that the road had suffered the worst form of neglect in the history of road maintenance and rehabilitation in Nigeria, despite having featured in successive budgets as capital projects without execution, even when the contract for rehabilitation has been awarded.
The lawmaker informed that Setraco Nigeria Limited, which was awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the Road long before now, has not mobilised to site despite the provision of N250,000,000 on the 2023 Appropriation Act as an outgoing project.
He worried that the current state of the road is a sad commentary on the state of the highways in Nigeria, thus painting an unsavory picture of the country’s deteriorating culture of road maintenance; and
Disturbed that the road, which has completely become non-motorable and impassable as a result of a long period of neglect, has made it impossible for humans, goods and services to move along the route, which also provides access to major locations for cocoa and oil palm plantations.
READ ALSO: Confusion at Reps plenary over unavailability of order paper
Supporting the motion, Senator Barinada Mpigi (Rivers South East), noted that the motion was timely and urged his colleagues to support the motion.
Other Senators who spoke in favour of the motion are Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) and Senator Eteng Williams (Cross River Central).
