By Kelvin Obambon
Work is progressing rapidly on the 10-kilometer Adiabo-Ikoneto road abandoned by the Federal Government 33 years ago. The single carriage road project initiated in 1992 by the late Sani Abacha regime was to halve the travel time from Calabar to Akwa Ibom and also multiply the entry point to the state capital.
Speaking shortly after an inspection tour of the ongoing project by the Think Cross River Initiative and a team of journalists on Monday, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Hon. Ankpo Pius, explained that the project was awarded to Zenith Construction Nigeria Limited in 2024.
He said the 10km road starts from the Tinapa bridge area and would terminate at Ikoneto. According to the Commissioner, the project would include construction of two major bridges and a realignment of the road.
“The major challenge we have there is the swampy area. The place need to be filled and allow to cure and set. That’s why we don’t have a definite timeline for the completion. It’s a huge project. We have about 4 or 5 kilometer to sand fill to about 3 to 5 meters of depth. The filling there is massive considering the terrain which is watery. In the next three or four months we should be able to complete the filling, and then open the road for motorists to drive on to allow it settle before we bring in laterite and fill it until we get to the level we want.
Read Also: I Stopped Defending EFCC Due To Its Corruption, Nepotism, Other Issues –Lawyer Inibehe
“I want to commend the Governor for this great initiative. This goes a long way to settle the issue of the state having one way in and one way out. This road will be another way to change that narrative. This government is committed to putting quality infrastructure in place for the benefit of Cross Riverians. Upon completion, the project will reduce the travel distance from Calabar to Odukpani by 30 kilometer,” he said.
Hon. Ankpo disclosed that Prince Otu-led administration since assumption of office has initiated about 100 kilometers of road projects across the state of which 45 to 50 percent have been completed. He noted that the government was working on completing several projects initiated by the previous administration, adding that recently approval has been secured for the construction of flyovers at Mobil-MCC and Effioete Roundabout.
Commenting on the Adiabo-Ikoneto road project, the initiator of Think Cross River, Mr Edem Darlington, said the road traverses and connects several communities such as Adiabo, Creek Town 1, Creek Town 2 and terminates at Ikoneto.
He recalled that the road which was supposed to be completed by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), was abandoned over the years, thus prompting the state government to take up the project as a response to the cries of commuters who ply the deplorable Odukpani-Itu road.
Darlington who is the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, explained that the Adiabo-Ikoneto road would bypass failed portions of Odukpani-Itu road and thereby shorten the distance between Calabar and Akwa Ibom. He said the agony Cross Riverians were going through as a result of the parlous state of the Odukpani-Itu road cannot be quantified, which is why the governor in his compassionate nature had stepped in to remedy the situation.
The Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Mr Andrea Ekeng Inyang and the Special Assistant to the Governor on Communication, Mr Nathan Otaba, also took part in the tour.
