Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural and Riverine Roads), Mr Charles Aniagwu, has said that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s urban renewal plans for the state were now yielding tangible fruits across urban centres of the state.
Mr Aniagwu disclosed this on Monday in Warri, while speaking to journalists after an inspection of reconstruction of Upper and Lower Erejuwa Road, Esisi road, and Hospital Road, Warri.
Aniagwu, who was accompanied by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Festus Ahon, and the functioning Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Engr. Solomon Aghagba, said the resurfacing of the road signposts Governor Oborevwori’s urban renewal plans for Warri and other urban centres across the state.
Aniagwu said; “before we came to this place, we inspected some roads in Sapele. Those are some roads that we are trying to construct so that we can clean up the Sapele axis. We are hoping that, any time from now, we will have groundbreaking to signal the commencement of works on those roads.
“Here in Warri, we came to look at the roads supervised by my colleague in the Ministry of Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Comrade Reuben Izeze.
“On the hospital road, there is a little part of it that has not been completed because the Local Government was trying to handle about 130 -meter stretch of it but they didn’t do it properly and we are going to communicate to the governor for us to be able to clean up that corridor.
“From what I have seen from the other roads, the contractor has done a very wonderful job and, anytime from now, the governor will be available to commission this road which will signal the official commencement of their usage.
“We are happy that our urban renewal programme is indeed yielding good results. You can see that the governor’s intention to do more for the people is also yielding fruits and so the people are happy.
“But like we said, the people have not seen any thing yet because, His Excellency, as spelt out in his MORE Agenda, is very much ready to do more. So, we are pleased with what we have seen.”
On the payment of compensation for structures along the right of way in the Sapele projects, Aniagwu explained that, “If your structure is on the right of way and it happened that you didn’t build where you are not supposed to build, definitely, we will compensate you.
“But there are those who intentionally left their plot of lands and decided to encroach on the right of road that were already created before now; we are not going to compensate them because they built their fence or shops on the road.”
The Commissioner explained that the state government always made provision for drains to ensure the durability of roads, adding that, “a number of the roads constructed, we have ensured that they have dual side drains, depending on the topography of the area and how the water flows. There are some areas that you can build just one drain so that it does not affect the pavement of the road.
“Drains are not just to beautify the roads but also to ensure that the roads last longer because you are able to take away the flood water to a particular water channel.
“So, be rest assured that, as a government, we are constructing roads that will suit our people because the first reason why we are in government is because they have given us the mandate. Like you know, to whom much is given, much is expected.
“Our people in Delta made sacrifices by electing Governor Sheriff Oborevwori; so, the governor himself is going to make sacrifice by serving them to the best of his ability.”
On some failed Federal Government roads in the state, Aniagwu said, “we have, even before now, intervened in some of the federal roads you are talking about. We also plead with the Federal Government to fast track the rehabilitation of those roads.
“We were told that some of them are under contracts. For instance, if you go to Asaba and heading to Onitsha, we are told that it is under contract.
“A while ago, I spoke to the acting Zonal Controller of the Federal Ministry of Works and he told me that they are hoping that, in about a weeks time, the contractor will return to site.
“Our people are having harrowing experience motoring along that corridor. The funny thing is that, you can’t just come to take action on a road under contract. You will need to do some form of negotiations. We are hoping that the contractor goes back to site.”
The Commissioner also inspected the recently completed Obi-Ibabu-Ibabu road in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the state and expressed dissatisfaction with its finishing.
