Senate probes uncompleted Cross River Road repair
The Senate on Wednesday tasked its Committee on Works with investigating the unfinished repairs on the Odukpani-Itu Highway in Cross River State.
This involves evaluating how funds designated for the project through various budget cycles have been spent.
The Senate also directed the committee to summon relevant agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Works, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), and contractors, to submit comprehensive reports regarding the highway’s condition and the obstacles preventing its completion.
The Senate encouraged the Federal Government to prioritize the swift finalization of the highway, underscoring its significance in alleviating public hardship and unlocking the economic potential of the area.
It also suggested that the government limit its policy on concrete road construction to new initiatives, permitting existing contracts to use asphalt to hasten progress.
These resolutions came after the Senate deliberated and approved a motion of urgent national significance titled, “Urgent Need to Investigate the Slow Progress of Work on the Odukpani-Itu Federal Highway in Cross River State,” which was put forward by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong and co-sponsored by Senator Ekong Sampson.
In his main address, Senator Ekpeyong emphasized the strategic significance of the highway, referring to it as “a major highway in Cross River State linking Calabar, Nigeria's first capital, to Itu in Akwa Ibom State, and a crucial route for transportation, commerce, and social integration within the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria.”
He mentioned, “The highway is the key corridor for moving agricultural products—including cocoa, palm oil, cassava, yams, and bananas—from rural areas to urban markets.
“It also grants access to tourist sites such as the Obudu Mountain Resort and the Agbokim Waterfalls.”
Ekpeyong further clarified that the road functions as a vital evacuation path for solid minerals in both the South-South and South-East regions and aids the Calabar Port, which has strategic importance as a bulk cargo port for petroleum products shipped to the North-Central and North-East of Nigeria.
“The Senate recognizes that this highway has remained poorly maintained for years, with crucial sections uncompleted despite numerous promises and funding in federal budgets,” he lamented.
He added, “The slow pace in completing the highway has inflicted severe hardship on travelers and residents, disrupted economic activities, and raised transportation costs for agricultural products and other goods.”
Ekpeyong emphasized that finalizing the Odukpani-Itu Highway is “not merely an issue of infrastructure development but also a moral and economic duty to the people of Cross River State and the Niger Delta region as a whole.”
He expressed optimism that completing the project would align with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, as it would promote economic growth, enhance connectivity, and improve social welfare in Cross River State and beyond.
He noted that it would create employment opportunities, enhance market access, and support MSMEs via improved infrastructure.
Numerous senators, including Ekong Sampson, Seriake Dickson, Victor Umeh, and Shaibu Isa Lau, expressed their support for the motion.
The Senate unanimously ratified its resolutions through a voice vote overseen by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
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