Chinedu Ngwuta, Abakaliki
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has constituted a high-powered Executive Council (EXCO) committee to evaluate the execution of his administration’s flagship 2-kilometre roads project across autonomous communities in the state.
The committee, made up of Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs), is mandated to tour all benefiting communities, ascertain the level of work done, verify costs incurred, and submit a comprehensive report to the governor.
Announcing the development on Saturday at his Abakaliki residence, the Senior Special Assistant on Infrastructure Maintenance, Chief Ben Nwovu, said the governor expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work on the projects and warned that any contractor found wanting would be sanctioned.
“His Excellency has directed that no stone be left unturned to ensure every project executed under his watch meets specifications and is delivered on time,” Nwovu stated.
He added that the committee would identify communities where contractors have abandoned the projects as well as those executing substandard jobs. Erring contractors, he said, would be penalised while abandoned sites would be re-awarded to more serious and reputable firms.
Nwovu noted that the 2km roads initiative cuts across all 13 local government areas of the state, translating to over 300 kilometres of new roads in rural communities.
The governor’s aide also highlighted other major infrastructure strides, including the ongoing conversion of the former International Trade Centre at Presco Junction into the new Ebonyi Hotel, where work is progressing steadily.
He commended Governor Nwifuru for completing several abandoned projects inherited from previous administrations and for delivering numerous people-oriented initiatives such as tunnels, flyovers, the ICT and Aeronautic universities at Offerekpe Agbaja and Onueke Ezza, as well as massive rehabilitation of urban and state roads.
“Maintenance is the life-wire of every infrastructure. This administration is ensuring that no project is abandoned anywhere in the state,” Nwovu emphasised.
He disclosed that several urban roads, including Nwike, Ejeffor, and Afikpo streets, have been fully rehabilitated, while pothole repairs on critical routes such as Mile 50–Ishieke, Hilltop, Holy Ghost, and Elias Odili streets will commence soon before the onset of the rainy season.
On federal roads, Nwovu said the Abakaliki–Enugu, Abakaliki–Ogoja, and Abakaliki–Afikpo expressways are receiving attention from the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), following direct intervention by the Minister of Works, who hails from the state.
The establishment of the monitoring committee is seen as a decisive step by the Nwifuru administration to guarantee value for money and ensure that its massive rural infrastructure revolution reaches every nook and cranny of Ebonyi State as promised.
