Gov. Umo Eno.
By Dianabasi Effiong
Following the State Executive Council’s approval for new road projects and the continuation of ongoing ones, Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, has released the sum of N123.5 billion for the payment of mobilisation fees, right-of-way compensation, and the settlement of due Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) to contractors handling various road projects in the State.
This was made known in a statement by the State Commissioner for Information, Rep.Aniekan Umanah, on Friday.
According to Umanah, the projects cover more than 167 kilometres of roads, including the Ikwe–Odio Road; the six-lane dualisation of Nung Udoe–Afaha Offiong–Afaha Nsit road with a rotary intersection; the dualisation of Afaha Offiong–Ikot Imoh–Itreto; and the reconstruction of the Ikot Akpaden–Okorete–Iko Road with two mini bridges in Mkpat Enin and Eastern Obolo Local Government Areas, among others.
A breakdown of the figure shows that ₦69 billion is earmarked for newly awarded projects, while N54.5 billion has been released to service outstanding IPCs and additional works on existing projects.
Umanah said, “The essence of this payment is to encourage contractors handling the various projects to take full advantage of the construction season and deploy all necessary resources to ensure the timely completion of the projects within the agreed timeframe. It further underscores the Governor Umo Eno”s commitment bro delivering on the infrastructure expansion mantra of the ARISE Agenda.”
