Akwa Ibom spent N100bn on road in 2 years

The Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, Mr Okon Umanah, has said the state spent more than N100 billion on road rehabilitation and upgrading between 2010 to 2011.Umanah made the disclosure to newsmen in Uyo at the end of a two-day retreat, organised by the Federal Ministry of Works, with the theme: ``improving road sector infrastructure for socio-economic development''.He said that 717 federal and state road projects were being rehabilitated and 212 structures completed as part of the social amenities being delivered to the people.Umanah said that the state was willing to collaborate with the Federal Government on infrastructure development as it was the bedrock and a catalyst for economic growth.The scribe said the state government had intervened and added value to some federal roads which were impassable in the state in the last 15 years by upgrading them from single lanes to double carriage ways.Earlier, the deputy governor, Mr Nsima Ekere, had led the Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen on a tour of some federal roads being rehabilitated by the state government.He appealed for reimbursement of funds to Akwa Ibom to enable it embark on outstanding projects.Some of the projects inspected were the Abak-Ikot Ekpene road dualisation, the Ekin Itam Oku- Ikono road dualisation, Afaha-Obong and Etim Ekpo road, including bridges.Among the roads upgraded were the Uyo-Oron and Ikot Asua-Odobo Airport bye pass and a section of the Abak-Ikot Okoro-Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road dualisation.Ekere called on the Federal Government to dualise the Ibaka-Oron road with linkage to Uyo-Oron, as well as the Calabar-Itu to Ikot Ekpene, leading to Abia State, to help boost the socio-economic activities of the people.
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