By John Odhe, YENAGOA
Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, like the proverbial agama lizard, says he can beat his chest in affirmation that with the ambitious and intentional decision to construct the Nembe-Brass Road, a jinx has been broke.
But he is also happy that he got sufficient support from the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the project. He said the president’s award of contract for the second phase of the road was a major boost and encouragement.
The people of Brass Local Government Area of the state will remain grateful to the governor for taking the bold step of fulfilling what would have remained a lifetime daydreaming to them.
Diri, while on a supervision tour of construction sites in the state, expressed fulfillment with the ongoing construction of the 21km phase one of the Nembe-Brass road project in the state’s eastern senatorial district.
He described the project as a dream come true for him and the people of Nembe and Brass local government areas.
Diri, who inspected the expansive construction work on Tuesday, said the road, which cuts through the area’s mangrove forest and rivers, was a testament to his administration’s determination to connect hitherto unreachable riverine communities by road despite the state’s difficult terrain.
The Bayelsa governor, led by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Moses Teibowei, first inspected the asphalted 10km portion of the road with about three bridges, before crossing the river on a barge to see the extent of work on another 10km that had been stabilised.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, the governor said it was one thing to have a vision and another to have the will to execute it.
He said the project had been well funded since it commenced and assured that his administration would complete it on the date stated by the contractors.
On the second phase of the project undertaken by the federal government, the Bayelsa helmsman appreciated President Bola Tinubu for awarding the contract and for ensuring that it was running simultaneously with the phase one being done by the state government.
His words: “I feel accomplished. It is one thing to have the vision and another thing to have the will to do it.
“Being a Bayelsan, the importance of this road cannot be over-emphasised. This is what the people have been yearning for and I’m satisfied that the people are happy about the project.
“On funding, we have never disappointed the contractor and I believe they will not disappoint us. By the time the road is completed, it will reduce cases of sea piracy.
“Let me seize this opportunity to thank President Bola Tinubu. There was another President when we proposed this road. We wrote, nobody answered us then. But this President did not only answer us, he awarded the contract for the second phase.”
Also speaking, Teibowei, expressed satisfaction with the level of work so far done, stressing that the most difficult aspect of the job had been undergone.
He said the fifth bridge being constructed would be completed in three months while assuring that the road would be finished within the stipulated time.
The Setraco Construction Company South-South Area Manager (Bayelsa and Rivers), Mr. Jose Cosme, said phase one of the road would be completed in December, 2026.
