Rivers Executive Council Approves N80.8bn for Elele-Omoku Road Project

The Rivers State Executive Council has approved the construction of the 33.5km Elele-Omoku road project at a cost of N80,886,404,836.45kobo.

The project, which will traverse three local government areas in the state, is set to commence immediately and has a completion period of 24 months.

During a recent meeting presided over by Governor Siminalayi Fubara and attended by the Deputy Governor, Professor Ngozi Ordu, the council approved the contract for the construction of the road, which will be funded from the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) savings.

The project will begin from Elele to Umudioga, Egbeda, and Ubumini, before reaching Omoku. The road will be dualised, with a proposed width of 7.8 meters and a road shoulder of 2.5 meters.

A significant challenge in the construction process will be the replacement and filling of low-lying areas along the road, which will require hydraulic sandfilling and the use of laterite.

A 99-meter-long bridge will also be built between Egbeda and Omoku.

In addition to the road project, the council was briefed on the successful accreditation exercise conducted by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NWCN) at the State College of Nursing Sciences.

The school has recently been upgraded to the College of Nursing Sciences, with an increased admission capacity of 142% and a 400-capacity classroom block being constructed for midwifery and nursing students.

The Rivers State Health Commissioner, Dr Adaeze Oreh, also announced a new partnership between the state government and UNICEF, which will donate an oxygen manufacturing plant and equipment for the new born neonatal unit at the Eleme General Hospital.

The state is also set to implement the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme, which is the State Health Insurance Scheme.

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joseph Johnson, emphasized that the 33.5km Elele-Omoku Road project and the phase two of the Trans-Kalabari Road project will be funded with savings from the IGR, as part of the government’s commitment to improving the state’s infrastructure.

All the road projects being undertaken by the government have been certified for delivery to the people of Rivers State, as they have undergone due diligence and quality assurance processes.