Barely nine months after the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, assented to the N200 billion 2023 supplementary budget to fast track the ongoing ring road project, the State Executive Council, yesterday, approved the sum of N80.8 billion for the construction of a 33.5km Elele-Omoku Road.
The state Assembly before the festering crisis began on October 30, 2023, had, in July last year, passed the N200 billion supplementary budget under the leadership of Matins Amaehule as Speaker.
Also, during the crisis in December 2023, four members of the state Assembly, led by Edison Ehie, passed Fubara’s N800 billion 2024 budget. The passage of the budget is still brewing, as loyalists to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, are insisting on its cancellation.
Meanwhile, at its meeting, yesterday, presided over by Fubara, with his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, in attendance, the Council approved a 24-month completion period for the Omoku project.
The project is expected to span through three local council areas, including Ikwerre, Emohua and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Atemea Briggs, said that the project will be funded from the savings made from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state government.
