Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, yesterday assured that the Port Harcourt Ring Road will be delivered within 36 months, explaining that the contract for the Port Harcourt Ring Road was the first of such agreements that he signed.
The governor spoke, when he visited the site of the project, yesterday, to assess the extent of work that has been achieved.
The inspection tour saw the governor traverse three local government areas of the state; Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City.
Speaking with journalists after the inspection, Fubara said that so much money had been expended on the project, with the driving objective of making sure that it is delivered to Rivers people.
“I think that we are good, considering the understanding that we had with Julius Berger Nigeria PLC. We signed off that in 36 months, this project will be done and delivered, and with what we are seeing, we are meeting up that target.
“I think that we have a few issues; the price rate of things at that time we signed the contract and what subsist presently is no longer the same. But whatever it is, I have assured them that we are going to provide the necessary support to make sure that we deliver this project.
“You know this project is very important to us. It is one of the first things that I signed off when I came in as the governor of this state.
“It is a signature infrastructure project for me, whichever way anybody wants to look at it. We signed on for it. We are paying dearly for it, and it’s one of the objectives of this administration to make sure that we deliver it to our people,” he added.
In his remarks, the Managing Director, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr Lars Richter, who conducted the governor round the project site, said work had advanced after piling and laying of beams on the first flyover, which started on January 15, 2024, and accomplished two months after.
Richter, who explained that while they have intensified work on the second flyover with beams ready to be laid, said significant strides had been achieved in laying out the road and the drains for accelerated construction.
He assured that the project will be delivered on schedule, and within specifications.
