March 31, (THEWILL) – The Bayelsa State Government has disclosed that concerted efforts were on to rehabilitate roads destroyed by the 2022 flood across the State.
Conducting journalists during a tour of the construction sites on Friday, the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Moses Teibowei, in company of Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ayibaina Duba, said the Government decided to tour the sites and see the level of work done, adding that by the end of July 2023, all the rehabilitation works would have been concluded.
The team visited Onuebum/Otuoke road, Imiringi/Elebele road, Opokuma/Sabagreia road, and Igbedi extension road among others.
Speaking to journalists after the tour, Teibowei said, “We have decided to tell Bayelsans what the prosperity administration is doing with regards to roads that were badly affected by the 2022 flood and what effort the government is making to ensure that the roads are rehabilitated.
“We started with a visit to Onuebum/Otuoke site, from there we moved to Imiringi/Elebele road, where we made some diversions because on that road, we were having regular accidents and we are replacing the iron bridges with concrete culverts. From there, we went to Opokuma/Sabagraei road and Amassoma road.
“In all the locations, work was ongoing and we believe that work will be completed by July this year latest. We also visited Igbedi extension. We are doing over 2 kilometres of the additional road after the Government has done 4.5 kilometres, which was commissioned last year.
“We also visited the outer ring road sections 2 and 3 and there are other jobs going in different locations across the State. The Onuebum /Otuoke road is always flooded perennially and we decided that there is a need to elevate the road from its present level to two meters height and so we are removing the asphalt.
“We are going to sand fill up to 2 meters in height and provide culverts where necessary to ensure that it is not going to be flooded going forward.
“We have also awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the road to Trofani. On Sagbama/Ekeremor road also, before Bolorua and after Bolorua, work is ongoing.
“We are constructing both internal and major roads. For Ekeremor roads, we are talking about 42 kilometres; Nembe/Brass road, 21 kilometres; outer ring road, 21 kilometres; glory drive phase 2, 10.8 kilometres; and we will tell you the cost implications later.
“We are also going to do from Sagbama to Tungbo. In the next one week, contracts will be awarded to rehabilitate the road. All the projects will be finished before the rainy season finally sets in.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Ayibaina Duba, said, “We have always maintained that we want to link up Bayelsa State and the roads need to be constructed. More projects have been approved, we are doing this because Bayelsa State was created in 1996 and this is bad that with what we contribute to the federation, there are still Local Governments that are not connected by road network, and as a responsible government, we feel that it is unacceptable and we must link up these communities with roads.
“It is something we as a government want to do for the people and we will continue to do those roads. We won’t stop until we get it done and achieved.
