As the perennial flood occasioned by the rainy season worsens the situation of the Calabar – Itu Highway, forcing contractors to abandon the work, the lawmaker representing Ibiono Ibom in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Moses Essien, has called on President Bola Tinubu to accelerate the fixing of the road through adequate funding.
Essien stated this while undertaking inspecting the failed portions of the road at his Ibiono Ibom LGA axis as part of his oversight duties at the weekend.
The lawmaker expressed worry as motorists and passengers, who had been stranded for days lamented their plights on the road.
While expressing concern over the road users’ plights, Essien blamed the contractors including the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) for the slow pace of work, and called for a more federal government’s commitment.
At the Ikot Ebom portion of the road where commuters and motorists spend days in long queues stretching kilometres on both sides of the dual carriageway, the lawmaker noted the man hours and material resources wasted, as inter – states businesses between Akwa Ibom and Cross River states stagnate for months.
Essien lamented that the deplorable condition of the road has isolated the two sister states, stressing the urgent need for the federal government to provide adequate funding for the project as a motivation for the contractors to expedite action.
Essien emphasised the strategic importance of the road in facilitating economic growth, promoting unity, and ensuring the safety of commuters and motorists within the South-South, South-East and other parts of the country.
“As the member representing the people of Ibiono Ibom State constituency, and as one who has been using this road frequently, I have to come here to see things for myself.
“From what I have seen and as you can see, the road has become impassable and the people of my constituency and other users are suffering, and I want to seize this opportunity to call on the federal government and President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene, and ensure adequate and proper funding for the construction of this important road which links the South-South and the South-East regions, and other parts of the country.
“You can only imagine what the people are suffering on this road, sleeping days on the road without getting to their destinations. The people cannot access Cross River State from here, neither can they access Akwa Ibom State, and you know the importance of this road to this region and the country as a whole,” the lawmaker lamented.
