Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, has said the high cost of construction materials will not deter his administration’s commitment to development of the state.
The governor also said ongoing projects were a priority of the government and assured that cost variations will not affect them.
Diri made the disclosure during an unscheduled inspection visit to both the Nembe-Brass and the Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie road projects, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah.
Speaking on the Nembe-Brass road, Governor Diri said: “The question of whether or not my administration will continue with this project due to the high cost of materials does not arise because when it comes to development in the state, nothing will stop us.
“Development cannot be arrested as a result of high cost of materials.
“The contractors will come up with the cost variation and the Ministry of Works will look at it, evaluate and assess it and agree on the amount due to variation.
“So, we will surely and steadily continue the construction of this road to Brass.
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“I am very satisfied with the pace of work. This shows that we have never played politics with the development of this state as all parts of the state is our constituency.”
While appreciating the Federal Government for its commitment to partner the state on the project, Diri explained that he had met President Bola Tinubu twice and that he had directed the Federal Ministry of Works to collaborate with the state government on construction of the second phase of the road.
“The collaboration with the federal government is looking very good and let me use this opportunity to appreciate His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria whom I have met twice and he directed the Minister of Works to collaborate with the state in completing the second phase of this road.
“After my last meeting with him, the Minister of Works called me and sent a team to the state. So, the collaboration has already started.”
The state’s helmsman expressed satisfaction with the pace of work on the 21km first phase of the project, which has 10 bridges, saying in this second tenure, he looks forward to vehicles driving to Brass town.
While noting that the rehabilitation work on the failed portions of the Ogbia-Nembe road had stopped, he called on the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, which embarked on the remedial work before last year’s governorship election, to ensure it is completed.
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In his remarks, the Setraco Project Manager in charge of Bayelsa and Delta States, Mr. Joseph Cosme, explained that the company had achieved 65 per cent sand-filling of the road while almost 2.5km of the sand-cement and stone-base had been completed.
Inspecting the Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie road project, the governor dispelled insinuations that his administration continued the Bayelsa Central Senatorial District road due to political consideration.
Speaking at the bridge construction site at Angiama community, Diri described the road as crucial to development of the state, saying it is unthinkable for headquarters of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area not to be accessible by road.
He stated that the level of progress on the project even after the November 11 election was enough to change the minds of skeptics and critics of his administration.
He also lauded the people of Southern Ijaw for their support for the project and urged them to sustain the tempo.
Also speaking, some Southern Ijaw leaders, who accompanied the governor on the inspection, including leader of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Monday Bubou, newly appointed Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Caucus Chairman, Talford Ongolo, all hailed him for his commitment towards completing the road and affirmed the gratitude of people of the area to the prosperity administration.
