 |
| President Buhari |
President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that escaping poverty would be far more difficult if infrastructure investments were not made.
The president made the remarks during the inauguration of the 360-meter-long Ikom Bridge in Cross River on Tuesday.
The leaving administration's six major projects, including the Second Niger Bridge and Loko Oweto Bridge, were also inaugurated virtually from the Council Chamber in Abuja.
The Abuja-Kano Highway is another, as are three Federal Secretariats in Bayelsa, Anambra, and Zamfara.
He said: “The projects we inaugurate today, embody the country’s focus on delivering prosperity; they are frontal efforts to address multi-dimensional poverty instead of lamenting about it.
“The Ikom Bridge will boost trade in and around the Calabar Port and Free Trade Zone and facilitate transport connectivity from the South-South, through the North Central to the North East.
“These bridges are bridges of connectivity and integrity across major rivers of commerce like the River Benue, River Niger and Cross River, they will reduce travel time, improve business efficiency and service delivery,” he maintained.
Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River, for his part, stated that for a long time, the people had clamoured for a new bridge to relieve traffic and business issues.
Ayade, who was represented by Mr Osim Asu, the State Commissioner for Works, stated that the old Ikom Bridge, which was erected in the 1970s, has become a barrier to effective transportation of commodities from the Calabar Port because to its low headway.
While congratulating the Federal Government on the construction of the new Ikom Bridge, the governor also took use of the occasion to call for the restoration of several other federal roads in the state to alleviate traffic issues.
Similarly, Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu, Obong of Calabar, praised the Federal Government while emphasizing the significance of the new Ikom Bridge to Cross River.
Mr Edem Ededem, a member of the Obong's Council of Chiefs, represented the traditional ruler, who stated that the economic benefits of the bridge could not be overstated.
He also stated that the people of Cross River will have unrestricted passage within the state and from the state to the northern part of the country.
The N8.9 billion Ikom bridge and 1.2-kilometer road cost N8.9 billion.
Messrs Setraco Nigeria Limited began work on the bridge on October 8, 2018 and completed it on November 7, 2021.