Calabar-Itu Road: Youth Crusaders, AIC go spiritual against Buhari, Fashola, Akpabio, Enang
-As Ibom Contractors, TRC, plead for Calm, prefer prayers against protest
Youths, under the aegis of the South-South Youth Group Crusaders for change (SSYGC), hasve declared that President Muhamadu Buhari and his cabinet members will not rest until their prayers are answered concerning the mobilization of the Julius Beger Construction Company back to site for the completion of the abandoned Calabar-Itu Road.
The President of the group, Mr. Iniobong Edem called on President Buhari, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio; the SSA to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang to do away with all excuses and plead for the mobilization of the construction company which was earlier awarded for rehabilitation.
Mr. Edem was addressing members of the group and the Association of Ibom
Contractors ( AIC), on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at a one-day special intercessory prayer session for the road at Okuiboku Junction
The group leader regretted that the President failed to know why the road project is suffering setback since the beginning of his administration in 2016 from the hands of different contractors, how the contract was awarded and what is the percentage of works so far done.
According to him “Even a child that was born in 2016 can talk and walk probably in Kindergarten or Primary one now, on the last count, contracts for the reconstruction of the Calabar-Itu Road have purportedly been awarded for not less than five times in the last five years of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“Within this period, no fewer than five less popularized roads in other parts of the country is completed. One instructive reference is the Illorin-Jebba-Mokwa federal road.
“Awarded at the contract sum of N13.57billion, work on the road started in 2013. By 2015 that President Buhari took over the reins, only 15.9 percent of this road linking the South West and North West was said to be completed.
“However, because of the transparent and quality advocacy of the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, who hails from that region, the road which is part of the Lagos-Algiers Trans Sahara Road Network had since been fully completed.
“On 1st October 2016, President Buhari had stated in a national broadcast that the Calabar-Itu Road led 11 other federal road projects where construction work has commenced.
“Notwithstanding the budgetary constraints, the current budget allocated two hundred and forty billion nairas for highway projects against twelve billion in 2015.
“Work on the following highways has now resumed: 1. Dualization of Calabar-Itu Road in Cross River/Akwa Ibom States. 2. Gombe Biu, Illorin-Jebba,” he said.
Comrade Iniobong cried out to God, regretting that the Presidency is playing politics with the road projects concerning the statement made by Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashiola.
“On Wednesday, May 3, 2017, the then Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, announced to journalists that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting of that day approved N54 billion for the reconstruction of the Calabar-Itu Road:
“Fashola gave assurance that the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing had just one memorandum. It was for the award of contract for the reconstruction of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene route linking Akwa Ibom and the Cross River States. The road project was approved for award to Messrs Julius Berger PLC.”
The youth vowed to take up a mass protest which will lead to a total lockdown of the road in 28 days, if nothing is done, quoting also from what the National Assembly member, Mr. Onofiok Luke told journalist recently “that a paltry sum of a little above 1bn naira was voted for the construction of the road”.
Earlier, The Secretary, Association of Ibom Contractors, Mr. Victor Matthew with other members who were on the invitation to witness the session pleads for calm and crave the indulgence of the President of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari to critically look into the pathetic situation of Akwa Ibom people as the proverbial bird that lays the golden eggs yet suffered neglect in terms of federal presence, moreover whose land is contributing 40% of the GDP of Nigeria. “As a matter of urgent public importance, the President should in the next NEC meeting Approve substantial funding to Julius Berger to commerce work on the high way and if this is done hundreds of youth will be gainfully employed, economic activities in the region will commence, the plan youth protest will be boycotted.
“It is worrisome to watch FG project concerning another region on television and pages of newspapers, while ours look like a scam.”
Matthew, while observing a minute’s silence for the soul of the departed victims of an accident occasioned by negligence on the part of the federal government, called on Akwa Ibomites and Crossriverians to find out why they are marginalized in terms of federal presence in the two states.
He cried out that, what is expected of the Federal Government is a complete reconstruction of Calabar-Itu Road to a 4-lane expressway similar to the East-West Road and not merely patching and resurfacing of the existing 2-lane road constructed in the 1970s.
The group recalled that on Tuesday, November 28, 2017, Babatunde Fashola, in a keynote address he delivered at the United Nations’ co-sponsored capacity building program for the Federal Road Safety Corps, in Abuja, acknowledged that some roads in the country were built in the 1970s which had not only outlived their design life but have had to deal with increased tonnage and capacity beyond what their design intended.
In his closing remark the president of the Association of Ibom Contractors, Engr. Lawrence Bassey recounting the frustration on the road said, about two years later, when the 2019 Presidential election was smelling thickly in the air, Sen. Enang, again, propounded that the federal government had released 11billion in addition to 5billion already paid to Julius Berger, the reason for which he was on the road to see things by himself. Whatever conspiracy or cajoling there were, with him in the farce theatre were the South/East Regional Manager of Julius Berger, Mr. Juergen Fischer; a representative of the Federal Ministry of Works, Engr. Amos Duke.
He quoted Enang thus, “We are here at Calabar–Itu-Ikot Ekpene Federal Highway where the Federal Government awarded a contract to Julius Berger Nigeria Construction for the dualization of the road. So, I came here on behalf of the Federal Government to look at the extent of work that is going on. Let me say that I am highly impressed by the extent of work done….We all came to see the extent they have gone because we have money in the budget this year for this road,” Enang told Akwa Ibom people.
The group on the final note declared that they are not comfortable with the decision of the federal government requested funding support from the SUKUK bond for the completion of Calabar-Itu Road.
On his part, The Paramount Ruler of Itu Local Government Area, His Royal Majesty Edidem Edet Akpan Inyang said though it is painful to watch President Buhari as he gives railways to other countries but Abandoned Nigerian, the Youth should please take their request in prayer form as God will touch the President’s heart.
High points of the event was the intercession prayers by Pastor Idorenyin Godwin while handing over a three months notice of the Mother-of-All- Protest to the Association of Ibom Contractors and the Itu Traditional Rulers Council which they plan to carry out by blocking the entire roads if the FG refused to do something about the road situation.
