Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Friday undertook an unannounced on-the-spot inspection tour of the ongoing 44.1km Enugu-Ugwogo Nike-Opi-Nsukka road construction by his administration, describing it as a critical socioeconomic infrastructure for the people of the state.
Mbah also visited identified security flashpoints on the road, which he said would be immediately fixed through infrastructural interventions and the setting up of a forward base.
This was even as the CEO of the construction firm, COMAG Construction Company Limited, Cosmas Agu, commended the government for the proper financing of the project, saying the company had no reason not to complete the project by October, the reviewed deadline.
Speaking to newsmen after the tour, Mbah expressed satisfaction with the work, vowing that the administration would not rest on its oars until the project was completed.
“We are very happy with the pace of work here. We have also paid attention to the quality because this is going to be a major highway for us by the time we are done. We are also interested in the timeline because we have given the contractor a strict timeline.
“We have reviewed the work programme, and the agreement is that this project will be delivered in October 2026. We don’t want to sit back in our office and at the end of the day be disappointed. What the team is doing is to be sure the project is being executed in accordance with the timeline and quality. We are satisfied with the speed and I am confident that the contractor will deliver,” he stated.
On the security flashpoints on the road, Mbah said: “Again, this road has also been one of the flashpoints of security challenges in our state. So, what we have also done here today is to go to the exact locations where we have security breaches on this road every now and again, and we have basically found a solution that will ensure those breaches do not continue on this road.
“We have also identified what to do, and we have agreed with the contractor on some quick fixes to do there. Most importantly, we are also going to have our forward operating base there to deal with that.
“The primary responsibility of every government is to ensure the security and safety of citizens. That is why I thought it wise to get to those flashpoints and ensure we put in place measures that will eliminate any such threats,” he concluded.
Also speaking, COMAG’s Agu, while expressing satisfaction with the funding of the project, said the firm had divided the project into several segments where work was going on simultaneously, assuring that the road would be ready by October.
“As you could see, we have gone through the road with the Governor today. I do not think there is a need for concern. We are going to meet the timeline. The funding is there. We have no problem with funding. We have the equipment here. We have experienced engineers.
“Again, we divided this construction into segments. NOWAS to T-Junction is one segment. Zero kilometre to T-Junction is one segment. T-Junction to Elim Estate is one segment. Elim to Ugwogo is one segment.
“Within these segments that I just mentioned, we have three bridges and work is going on simultaneously at the three sites.
“Another segment is coming from Opi. We are advancing seriously.
“October is our deadline and we are fighting strongly to deliver,” he asserted.
