Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
The Executive Chairman of Itu Local Government Council; Hon. (Barr.) Etetim Onuk has expressed gratitude to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State; Pastor Umo Eno over the award of contract for the construction of the 2.2KM Tabernacle Road with a 0.97KM underground outfall drain in ltu Local Government Area, describing him as a man of his word.
Speaking shortly after the flag-off ceremony on Thursday, Onuk who commended the Governor and his cabinet for the intervention, noted that the people of the area would finally heave a sigh of relief, as the perennial flooding is bound to be a thing of the past. He said the award of a contract for the construction of the road is an indicator of the present state administration’s resolve to enhance the transformation of the current state of infrastructural facilities in Akwa Ibom State.
Similarly, the Member Representing Itu State Constituency and the Deputy Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly; Rt. Hon. KufreAbasi Edidem also thanked the Governor for bringing the project to his constituency, while appealing that the administration also look into the completion of the nearby but stalled Afaha Ube road and Ikpenwe street projects, as well as the upgrade of Urua Ekpa road to a dual carriageway.
The paramount ruler of Itu Local Government Area; Edidem Edet Akpan Inyang also commended the Governor for coming to their aid, maintaining that the importance of roads in rural development cannot be underestimated. He advised the contractor handling the road project to ensure he engages members of the community even as he warned against unnecessary intimidation and extortion that could lead to crisis.
While addrrssing residents and guests during the flagging-off, Governor Umo Eno stated that the contract was awarded in line with his promise to enhance infrastructure and bring development closer to the people. He expressed optimism on the contractor’s capacity to complete the job. He also ordered a report on a production company operating at a nearby location along Ikot Ekpene road and hinted at a possible relocation of the factory to the Industrial Layout due to the potential threat to life their activity may pose to the largely residential neighbourhood.
Furthermore, Governor Eno directed the Commissioner for Works and Fire Service to look into the cases in Afaha Ube projects and work towards completing the road construction, as the present administration has no intention to abandon projects initiated by the administration he succeeded.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Works and Fire Service, Prof. Eno Ibanga has disclosed that the project is a major de-flooding work aimed at reclaiming the entire area, pointing out that the 0.97 kilometre of underground drainage line would empty into the Calabar-Itu Road drainage channel while assuring of his Ministry’s commitments to ensure that the contractors deliver according to specifications.
