The lawmaker said the NNPCL provided the Federal Government a cheque of over six hundred billion naira to reconstruct 21 critical roads across the country, including Aba-Ikot-Ekpene, and Umudike-Ikot -Ekpene Roads.
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The Senate has called on relevant Ministries to urgently look into the delay in the rehabilitation of bad roads in the Aba-Osisioma-Port-Harcourt, Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene and Aba-Ikot Ekpene axis.
The call follows the adoption of a motion on the urgent need to investigate the delay in the completion of these roads, sponsored by Senator Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia) at Tuesday’s plenary.
The lawmakers also urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to urgently intervene in the repair of the portions of the roads. It equally mandated its Committee on Works, when constituted, to investigate the award of contracts for rehabilitation of the roads.
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Senator Nwokocha, in his debate, noted that the roads are central to the economic and social nerves of the cities of Aba, Umuahia, Uyo, Ikot-Ekpene and Port –Harcourt and serve as the arteries of the Nigeria National Petroleum Cooperation Limited (NNPCL) operations; providing the company with an alternative channel for the distribution of petroleum products.
He lamented that important agricultural produce nationwide has continued to perish due to uncountable delays in the completion of the road projects.
The lawmaker informed the Senate that “the Federal Government had awarded contracts of the road to Messers CGCC Global Project Nigeria limited, Heartland and Raycon Construction Company and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).
The project was funded by NNPCL pursuant to the Presidential Executive Order 007 signed in 2019, under the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme designed to boost Nigeria’s national road asset and marginally reduce critical infrastructure deficit in the country.”
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The Abia lawmaker further noted that the NNPCL had handed over a symbolic cheque of N621.24 billion for the reconstruction of the 21 critical roads across the country, including the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Umudike-Ikot -Ekpene roads to the Federal Government.
In adopting the motion, the Senate further mandated the Ministry to ensure provisions of full and permanent solutions to enable urgent completion of the roads.
