by crossriverwatch admin
The Cross River Government says it has, in collaboration with African Development Bank, committed about N20.31 billion to the implementation of Rural Access and Mobility Project in the state.
The State Project Coordinator, Mr Charles Okongor, disclosed this to newsmen in Calabar over the week.
Okongor said the chunk of the funds was being spent on the civil works for the construction of 474-Kilometre rural roads currently going on across the 18 local government areas.
“For the civil works, the state government is committing N13.3 billion and the ADB is committing N7.01 billion. And so far, 30 per cent of the funds has been paid out already to contractors according to the level of work done,’’ he said.
He said that the project implementation committee was ready to pay any contractor who completed his job and urged them to expedite work on them, to meet the June 2013 project deadline.
Okongor said the partners had made the funding available, adding that contractors had no reason to fail to deliver.
He said that one of the roads (4.1 km) had been completed and is waiting to be commissioned while others were at various stages of completion.
According to him, the roads under construction included Yahe-Wanokom-Wanikande-Benue border (55km); Ukpe-Okiro-Ubang-Wula-Obudu (40km); Ekpiri-Ikang-Edim Edim-Ikot Effanga (4.1 km); and Calabar-Ikom Highway-Akim Akim (81 km).
He said, however that the rising cost of construction materials and heavy rain fall in the areas were work is ungoing were serious challenges to the works.
The project coordinatior, said the implementation committee had put in place measures to ensure that benefiting communities were engaged in the construction to create jobs and ensure community participation.
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