President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, commissioned the 1.2 kilometre Ikom Bridge, built by the President’s administration to spur economic activity in the state.
The new bridge is situated on a South-North highway.
Buhari declared that the project will increase the economic prosperity of Nigerians when virtually launching it in Ikom, Ikom LGA of Cross River State. He added that the National Planning Commission had previously recommended building the bridge.
According to Buhari, the necessity to build the Ikom bridge stemmed from the old bridge’s inadequate headroom, the requirement to make the project corridor fully functional and accessible to heavy-duty trucks, and the need to ensure full operational capability of the Calabar ports, airport, and free trade zone.
The President claims that the Ikom bridge is one among the seven projects that were officially launched on Tuesday, together with three federal secretariats, three bridges, and a road.
Koya Kehinde, the federal controller of works in Cross River State, served as Buhari’s representative there.
Given the state’s proximity to Benue State and other states throughout the country, he claimed that the project will lower the state’s overall poverty rate.
“It also provides short connectivity and addresses multidimensional poverty.
“Most of the projects are executed with repatriated funds from overseas,” Buhari stated, adding that stolen and recovered funds from corruption cases are utilised for the good of the people.
Lauding the President for the project, Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade who was represented by the state Commissioner for Works, Engr. Dane Osim-Asu said the Federal Government has 13 trunk A roads in the state and has rehabilitated 9 roads leaving the remaining 4 that are still in a sorry state.
The governor appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of the state as bad roads have paralysed economic activities in the state.
