The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is making significant progress on key infrastructure projects aimed at improving connectivity and economic activity in the region. The Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has reassured stakeholders of the commission’s commitment to completing the 2-kilometer double-lane Kaa-Ataba road with two bridges in Rivers State’s Khana and Andoni Local Government Areas.
During an inspection of a 1.2-kilometre-long bridge on the project site, Dr. Ogbuku, accompanied by NDDC Executive Director of Projects, Victor Antai, and other senior officials, provided updates on the construction’s progress. In a statement issued in Port Harcourt by Seledi Thompson-Wakama, NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ogbuku stated:
“The project is about 70 percent done, and we are ready to complete it by the middle of next year. We have just finished discussing it with the on-site contractors and even assuring the traditional ruler that we are back already. The contractor is back on site and working to ensure we finish this project by mid-next year.
“As you can see, this bridge is one of the longest bridges in this country, after the Third Mainland Bridge and the Second Niger Bridge. This is about 1.2 kilometers long, and you can see it is very long. It is an ambitious project by the NDDC. We want to complete it for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta because once this bridge is completed, it will be linked to Ataba and also the Bony Island too.”
Highlighting the bridge’s strategic importance, Ogbuku explained that it would provide multiple gateways to Bony Island, complementing the existing Bony-Bodo expressway. He added that work on casting the bridge beams was underway, signaling the contractor’s readiness to push the project to completion.
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The paramount ruler of Ataba Kingdom in Andoni Local Government Area, King Benson Uruk, expressed delight at the NDDC’s renewed commitment to the project, saying:
“We had almost lost hope on this project. We prayed for it to be completed. Seeing the NDDC here today has brought us joy.
“We are joyful because this project is so dear to our hearts. Most of the communities in Andoni are motorable except the Ataba community. Completing this project would be a big relief for economic and social activities. It will improve the lives of the Ataba people.
“We, the people of Ataba, are very peaceful and cooperative. We assure the NDDC that we will not disrupt the project as it goes on.
“This is a vital project that links Akwa Ibom State and Abia State. Though awarded in 2012, we inspected and saw the project’s status. About 15km of this project is done, and we are already conversing with the contractor about when they will return to the site. We are committed to reviewing the scope of the road and completing it in no distant time,” Ogbuku stated.
He added that the road’s completion would create a shorter route for travelers between Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, bypassing the East-West Road, and also evaluated the emergency reconstruction of the 5.5-kilometer Oyigbo road network, covering several communities in the Oyigbo Local Government Area.
