By Daniel Abia/Port Harcourt
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is set for the grand commissioning of one of its star projects, the 600-metre bridge in Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State.
To facilitate the process, the Managing Director of the commission, Chief Bassey Dan-Abia, took time to inspect the long-span bridge across the Qua Iboe River in the company of Mr. Etim Inyang Jnr, who represents Akwa Ibom State on the board of the commission.
Abia said it was the good fortune of the new NDDC board to deliver the mega-bridge, and the 6.8-kilometre Iko-Atabrikang-Opolom-Iwuo Achang road. He expressed satisfaction with the quality of the road and the long-span bridge.
“I am particularly impressed by the fact that it was done by an indigenous contractor,” he said.
He noted that the road and bridge had provided a major link for several communities, which were hitherto locked up in swampy terrain. He said to get the full benefit of the mega-project, “we need to embark on the second phase which will take off a lot of load from the Eket – Ikot Abasi Road. If it was not provided for in the 2013 budget of the commission, we will do something about it.”
On his part, the supervising engineer for the project, Mr. Etim Eyoette, told the managing director that the design for the second phase had already been done.
He also said that work was progressing at another 36-kilometre Ikoro-Ntafra-Opolom road with eight bridges to link up the Ibeno bridge after the second phase would have been done. According to him, the road would shorten the distance for those travelling from Ibeno to Port Harcourt, as they would no longer need to pass through Eket.
Mr. Samuel Eruohi, the project manager of Viche Nigeria Limited, the indigenous contractor that executed the project, assured the NDDC chief executive officer that they had completed their assignment and were ready to hand over the project to NDDC.
“The Ibeno bridge is the longest built by a Nigerian contractor in the Niger Delta region,” he said. A representative of the Ibeno community, Enyima Inyang, said they were delighted that the first phase of the project had been completed.
He, however, appealed to the NDDC to quickly initiate action towards extending the road to reach many other communities in the area.
Members of the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta had inspected the bridge last year and expressed satisfaction with the quality of job done by the contractor. Senator James Manager, the chairman of the committee, said, it was one project which he would want President Jonathan to commission as soon as possible.