The Bayelsa State government has vowed to press ahead and ensure the completion of the three senatorial road projects in the state.
The big ticket road projects are Sagbama- Ekeremor in Bayelsa West, Yenagoa- Oporoma in Bayelsa Central and Nembe- Brass in Bayelsa East.
Other road projects visited include the Glory Drive- Igbogene and the AIT/ Elebele outer ring road in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Speaking to journalists from the Federated Correspondents Chapel after a tour of the ongoing road projects, the Director-General of New Media, Dr Kolawole Oredipe said Governor Douye Diri is committed to the completion of the projects which would open up many coastal communities to develop and improve economic activities.
According to him the dream to open up the state through the three flanks in Bayelsa West, Central and East is alive, and the government would not rest until the three senatorial districts are connected through roads.
At the 42km Sagbama-Ekeremor road, valued at a cost of N34.4 billion, Dr Oredipe who explained that five bridges were built by the current administration in addition to two others done by the previous government, stressed that the people of Ekeremor town and other communities in Bayelsa West Senatorial District can now drive to their areas.
“You could see the stretch of the Ekeremor road, it has opened up communities from Toru-Orua to Angalabiri, Ofoni up to Ayamasa, Aleibiri, Isampou. You can just imagine the number of communities and people who used to travel by water. But today, they can travel by road to their communities. So, it has opened up a lot of communities in the area. We are taking it further to Agge and I am sure at the appropriate time, the government will take that decision. That is the story we are telling Nigerians that this government is giving hope to Bayelsans. We mean business when we say there is massive infrastructure everywhere,” he said.
At the 22.2 kilometre Yenagoa-Oporoma–Ukubie road, which is estimated to gulp N31.4 billion to link Yenagoa with Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and many other adjoining coastal communities located deep in the creeks, Oredipe disclosed that pillars for the bridge were being mounted just as the governor had directed the award of contracts for road projects to neighbouring communities such as Eniwari, Ondewari and Otuan.
He said taking the road up to Angiama is enough to inspire hope in the people who have been waiting for the road after forty years of promise which has not been fulfilled by the Federal Government.
Oredipe hinted that clearing works had been completed on the first phase of the Nembe-Brass road with sand filling to commence soon on the project conceived to have 10 bridges at a cost of 54 billion.
Also inspected during the assessment tour was the 21-kilometre Igbogene-AIT/Elebele outer ring road that connects Yenagoa to Ogbia valued at N54.56 billion and the 10.2km dual carriageway Glory Drive road from the Ecumenical Centre at Igbogene to the Tombia-Amassoma road.