Hon Pius Edet is the Honourable Commissioner for works and infrastructure in Cross River State. In this brief interview, he scored Gov Otu high on infrastructural development and called on Cross Riverians to lend their full support to the Governor to encourage him to deliver the long-anticipated dividends of democracy. Excerpts:
Q: Paucity of funds was the reason intracity roads, especially in Calabar, the State capital, was unattended to. Where did your government have the funds to do all the interventions, we are seeing going on today?Life is all about creativity. What you’re seeing is the creation and prudent management of what we have. We deploy the resources available to priority areas to the benefit of all Cross Riverians.
Q: Can you tell us specifically the area of your core intervention?
We’ve done a lot of interventions in Calabar, which is the State capital, some parts in Central and Northern Senatorial District. We are doing what you are bearing witness of because the government of Senator Prince Bassey Otu is focused and determined to give infrastructure to the people of Cross River state. We are not deviating from the People First focus.
This focus is propelling us to do more. This is because of the massive votes the people gave to us during the last election. Prior to the election day, we had given them series of promises on how we want to transform Cross River state. The people had confidence in us and supported us, so you don’t expect us to do less because this government is a talk and do government. We are known for integrity.
We have done a lot in terms of infrastructure. In the south a lot of work is ongoing. In Nyong Edem Street, for instance, we’ve done concrete road which was borrowed from Ebonyi state when the minister for works, David Umahi, was Governor there. I can tell you that what Cross River state government has done in Nyong Edem will stand the test of time.
We did that because we belong to the mangrove forest and we are characterize by heavy downpour and as you know, asphalt is a great enemy of water, that’s why we encourage concrete technology.
We have the raw materials here; the price of bitumen is determined by the rising price of dollars and as such we felt that the best thing to do is to implement the concrete technology because we have the materials to produce the concrete which is the stone and limestone here in Akamkpa. That’s because we don’t want to be likened to state or country who consume what they don’t produce and produce what they don’t consume.
Having done that, the Honourable Minister for works was here and was happy, he encouraged the Governor to ensure that this is replicated in every part of the state and the governor gave assurance that he was going to do same, which is why soon after we finished at Nyong Edem we moved to Efio-Ette roundabout where the same concrete technology was replicated and I can assure you that the concrete pavement will last for 50 years.
We also awarded contracts for rehabilitation of roads within Calabar metropolis and it was awarded to two contractors including Faithplant Global Services Limited owned by a son of the soil from Akamkpa LGA. He passed through the procurement processes and emerged as the most qualified to handle that project. I want to say here that he has done incredibly well and he has not disappointed us. A lot of streets in Calabar have been fixed by the company.
Time will not permit me to mention one by one the numbers of road that we’ve done interventions. It runs into hundreds and that’s deliberate because we want to give particularly Calabar a facelift because when the head is rotten the entire body is rotten, Calabar is the capital of Cross River state therefore anything that affects Calabar affect the entire state. All the entries to this state are in Calabar, the water ways, the Air and land routes, so whatever people see in Calabar is what they take home.
Recently we did something that will touch the minds of people, the construction of Adiabo-Ikoneto road which was initiated during the military era. Since that time till now there have not been any administration that deem it necessary to put one shovel of sand on that road but the government of Prince Bassey Otu didn’t look at it as a federal project rather he saw it as a project that will give economic boost to Cross River state and that’s why the State Executive Council approved its reconstruction, having done all the procurement and contractors have gone back to site and very tedious work is ongoing.
We carefully choose the contractor, we watched his track record knowing that the contract was awarded a long time ago, so he has to understand the terrain, we believe he will do us proud.
The pendulum of infrastructure development has also moved to the Central Senatorial District. Right now, we are in Ikom, we are doing the Sweet Mother road, Etome road, I think about 6 to 7 roads are witnessing ongoing renovations.
We didn’t just stop there at Ikom, we are doing roads in Ugep. About 6 to 7 roads, because Ugep is a cosmopolitan city. We have also moved to the Northern Senatorial District so that everyone will feel the impact of this infrastructural drive concurrently.
We have awarded contract for the construction of road particularly in Ogoja LGA, and again, we moved to Yala LGA and award the contract of Akriya road and bridge that was abandoned by the past government.
We also went to the road called Wanakande otherwise known as Ukelle road, that road has been awarded and contractors are on site. That is to say that the three Senatorial District is presently feeling the impact of the season of sweetness and this is deliberate because the people of Cross River state jointly voted for us because they believe in rotation of power so that the political permutations of Cross River state will not be truncated.
The budget we did was a very sizable budget termed “The People’s First” budget. It was targeted at improving the condition of living of the people. You know the budget is made up of revenue allocation of the state and FAAC, that’s why everything we are doing we are very careful in managing resources. Where the money comes from for all this project is centered on managerial efficiency.
If you look at the parliamentary extension axis in Calabar, it is wearing a new look courtesy of this administration, so I can tell you that we’re going somewhere. The infrastructural decay in our dear state is gradually going off.
I’m using this opportunity to encourage those who want to come and invest in our State during the carnival that they’re coming to see something different that wasn’t there in the last carnival. Until infrastructures are attractive, they carnival won’t make sense. Development is the commitment of human to make the environment attractive and that’s what we’re doing.
In a nutshell, in Calabar, we have intervened in Ekpo Abasi road, New Airport road, rehabilitated Eta Agbor road, all the roundabouts in the State capital have a facelift, rehabilitated the Jebs road, Anantigha, Atamunu street, Uwanse, Edem Edem, Orok Orok, Douglas, Atekong, Bishop Monarch Street, Cecilia Ekpeyong street, Hawkins road, Marian road, Essien Town, Ediba, Spring road, Old Odukpani road, Okoroagbor, Omar Street, Akpanika street, Azikiwe street, Abasi Edem street, Yellow Duke is ongoing and many others just within one year.
Yellow Duke has a mini bridge, we are putting up a new bridge that all the debris that pass in channel one will have no course to stand because that’s what has been causing the total overflow in that place. We are expecting that on the 29th May, that bridge will be completed for commissioning but if that does not happen, it won’t be more than one week before it is commissioned.
The governor has also refurbished dilapidated structures. The Governor’s Office is near completion, Deputy Governor’s lodge, Speaker’s lodge, Deputy Speaker’s lodge, Ikot Eneobong Police Station, CICC has been renovated and is now hosting events, we have awarded contracts for the State Library. These projects and many others that I have not mentioned have caused our Governor to be nicknamed ‘The New Mr. Project of Nigeria.’
Q: Can you tell us the estimates of how much has been committed to these numerous projects?I think that question should be directed to the commissioner for finance because I am the commissioner for works and I am to work, monitor the projects, supervise them and make sure that every contractor that receives our money is doing according to what is stated in the agreement.
Q: How long will it take you to complete the Adiabo-Ikoneto road?
A: For us, we have estimated 18 months but we can’t tell because as human you can propose and you don’t know other environmental factors that may come in to hinder all that you’ve projected.
Q: What message do you have for some Cross Riverians who have actually not keyed in to what His Excellency is doing?
A: The first advice is that they should appreciate God for giving them a righteous man to be in office in a moment like this. The Bible says ‘When the righteous rule, the people rejoice’. The man who is the Governor today is not a governor for APC. This administration is not propelled by partisan politics, it is a government for all political parties and all Cross Riverians.
Gov Bassey Edet Otu may have been given a ticket in a party called APC, but we should understand that a political party is only a vehicle that drives someone to his destination. He is like a man who climbs a tree full of ripe mango, he will not be able to eat the mango alone, in fact, his weight alone on the mango will make all the ripe mangoes to fall and everyone will eat, that’s to tell you that he is a Governor for all.
So, I urge all Cross Riverians to support him. Everyone should come on board with ideas that will make us to be proud of our State. No man is an island of knowledge nor reservoir of wisdom. Let ideas be shared, bring it on the table so that we can jointly develop Cross River state.
For those that our projects have reached their axis, congratulations to you, and for those that are yet to benefit from the Governor’s big heart, please be patience, I can assure you that the government of Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu is like a movement, it will definitely move and get to your destination and you’ll feel the impact of this government.
For Cross Riverians outside the state, please look for ways to bring development into your State because we want to be one of those States contending in terms development, let people see us as a developed State and we must be creative too because it is only creativity that can make us become a developed State.
