After Wike, Fubara Continues Romance With Julius Berger, Begins Landmark Ring Road Project
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With a stern warning to youths and traditional rulers against any form of disturbance to Julius Berger as it begins work on a ring road that will herald the birth of a new Port Harcourt City, Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara on Wednesday urged the construction giants not to worry about money.
The road which will criss-cross about six local governments, including Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt, Etche, Ikwerre and Eleme, is expected to be completed in three years and will cost the state about N195 billion.
Last week, the state house of assembly approved a supplementary budget of N200 billion as requested by the governor, for the project. On Wednesday when the governor signed the contract deal with Julius Berger, he promised to release 75 per cent of the contract sum to enable them commence work in earnest.
Signing on behalf of the Rivers State government were the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacheaus Adangor, Commissioner for Works, Dr. George Kelly Dakorinama Alabo and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Mrs Ebere Dennis Emenike; while the Managing Director, Dr. Lars Ritcher and Raymond Marisho, Assistant Regional Manager, signed for Julius Berger Nigeria PLC.
Fubara explained that the best time to start a project that has a completion period of 36 months is now, which is precisely why 75 percent of the contract sum of N195.3B has been released to make Julius Berger give the required urgency to the project.
The governor charged traditional rulers and youths to own the project that will traverse their various communities and to do nothing to disrupt its progress so as to avoid being suspended or prosecuted.
He said “it’s important that everybody should give the necessary support, because we need this project, for development to come. Initially, people will suffer some inconveniences, but at the end it will be beneficial to all”.
Fubara also assured that while the Port Harcourt Ring Road project is ongoing, his administration will not relent in giving attention to other critical sectors including the health sector by providing facilities, the requisite infrastructure and also supporting them to deliver the best service to Rivers people.
In his speech, Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, Dr. Lars Ritcher noted that the company has been part of the infrastructural transformation of the immediate past administration and assured that the company will not compromise quality and timeliness in delivering the project because of the sustained confidence in them.
The road will be expected to start from the UTC junction axis and pass through the Kidney Island unto the Diobu area, then pass through Aluu, Ikwerre Road up to Eneka-Rukpokwu, up to Igbo Etche and Eleme. It will carry about three flyovers.
According to him, “when all these places are opened up, people including the real estate investors will start moving in there and businesses will open up because people have started acquiring land there. That is to tell you the importance of the road.”
The previous day, while inspecting bad spots in the Township area of Port Harcourt, Fubara had stated that remedial works on the failed roads would be fixed, while a permanent solution was in the offing.
