Rep Sam Onuigbo Friday charged Hartland Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling the reconstruction of Umuahia-Ikwuano-Ikot Ekpene Road in Abia, to urgently fix the failed sections of the road, emphasising the collapsed portion of the road at Okwe-Oboro.

Onuigbo, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, made the appeal when he inspected progress of the ongoing  road project

He said the contractor should address the section, located in Ikwuano Local Govermnent Area, to make it for easy vehiclular movement for Akwa Ibom-bound commuters.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the contractor recently returned to the 50-km-long road, which links Abia to Akwa Ibom.

The Federal Government had awarded the N13.2 billion contract to the company in 2019 but the job was stalled due to the paucity of funds

In 2021, the Federal Executive Council re-approved the project for funding by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) through the Road Tax Credit Scheme.

The company’s Managing Director, Fayez Khalaf, had told reporters,  when they mobilised back to site, that their immediate focus was to rehabilitate the deplorable 10-km Umuahia-Oboro portion of the road before the rains set in.

But Onuigbo, who facilitated the project, told the contractor that it was important that they fixed the failed section at Okwe first because of its strategic location.

“I’m still going to make sure that I make contacts with the higher management for the company to address that portion because it is very important,” he said.

He expressed joy with the work done so far by the company and urged it to maintain the speed that it had demonstrated.

“I will like them to sustain the tempo because I don’t want the rains to come before they fix those failed sections,” he said.

He said that there was no cause for anyone to fear that the project could be abandoned again.

According to him, those fears have been addressed with the involvement of NNPC.

He said he was very hopeful that the project would soon be delivered to alleviate the plight of his constituents and other road users.

NAN