The Federal Government a few days ago, commissioned the 240km Enugu-Abakakiliki-Ogoja-Ikom-Mfum Trans-Africa Highway which cost N31 billion.
Performing the commissioning at Kilometre 6, Enugu-Abakiliki expressway, President Goodluck Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, revealed that the road project was consistent with the efforts of his transformation agenda towards free flow of persons and goods in the country.
His words: “This all important project that links Nigeria to Cameroon starting from Enugu-Abakiliki-Ogoja-Ikom-Mfum is part of the Trans-Africa Highway project.
‘’As part of the confidence building mechanism between Nigeria and Cameroon, after the Bakassi Peninsula saga, the World Bank and Africa Development Bank collaborated with the Government of Nigeria, Cameroon to ensure that part of the Trans-Africa Highway between Nigeria and Cameroon was rehabilitated.
“The road had been in a very bad shape, so we got a soft IDA facility for its funding from the banks I mentioned. The road was executed at a total cost of N31 billion. It was flag-off in 2012.
“Social infrastructures were built as part of the main road work contract. Under this arrangement, 36 boreholes/hand pumps,3 agricultural produce drying platforms,four Cassava processing mills, one rice processing mill,5 palm oil processing mills were built for communities along the main road corridors. (Vanguard).
I hate to hear the words commission,and flag-off from any government official in Nigeria. They always find a way to deceive and lie to people while they continue plundering our treasury. What I want to hear are that the project are fully completed and functioning properly with minimum one-year warranty. I want to hear the contractor successfully completed the project and handed over the government. I want hear the official opening/acceptance date of the completed project. I want to see the pictures of the event. The words commissioning and flag-off from a Nigerian government official make me feel like throwing up, and make feel they are idiots. They think we are fools and will be jumping up to the sky when we hear the word flag-off or commission. Those are old tactics. They should device new ones since they are very shameless for being non-performing officials.